It had rained all night, and the weather did not improve as nighttime departed.

The early morning sky was gray and blustery, the clouds passing by quickly. There was no telling if it would continue to rain.

Pei Xi came out of the study to the living room, holding a notebook. He Chuzhou was resting on the sofa, watching the weather forecast.

When he saw him approaching, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows and give him a questioning look.

Pei Xi sat down across from him without a change of expression. His notebook computer was placed firmly on his lap, his back straight and his temperament elegant: “The study is too stuffy. I came out to get some fresh air.”

He Chuzhou didn’t question him, and was so pleased that he turned down the volume of his phone.

Pei Xi: “Don’t mind me.”

He Chuzhou: “Huh?”

Pe Xi: “The noise won’t affect my concentration.”

As if in fear that He Chuzhou wouldn’t believe him, he added: “I don’t like working in an environment that’s excessively quiet.”

He Chuzhou didn’t know what to think when he heard this. His expression was a bit surprised.

Pei Xi calmly looked away, typing a sequence of keys on the keyboard.

A heap of gibberish was born.

Popular knowledge: when a person felt embarrassed or guilty, they would try to appear busy.

As expected, He Chuzhou believed what he said and adjusted his phone to a medium volume. He read the weather forecast and then started a game.

Pei Xi didn’t play games, nor did he understand them. He didn’t know what He Chuzhou was playing, but as it happened, if He Chuzhou’s focus was on the game, it wouldn’t be on him.

He silently raised his eyes, his gaze drifting across the computer screen to He Chuzhou again.

He had always known that He Chuzhou was good-looking, otherwise he wouldn’t have become famous in the circle as soon as he returned to China.

It was just that he was too indifferent before and too prejudiced against him, so he was dazzled when he saw his face now.

When had he started to become pleasing to the eye?

Asians had unique deep eye sockets and specific appearance advantages. They always looked lazy and gentle, with a clearly visible good temper, never angry and without a care for troubles.

He Chuzhou had once asked him before if he would take advantage of and responsibility for just anyone he mistook for his husband.

Now, he suddenly wanted to ask He Chuzhou if, no matter who had the memory disorder, no matter who was sitting here today, would he possess such inexhaustible thoughtfulness and patience, able to entertain that person all night long?

His wandering thoughts withdrew when his eyes lingered on the other person’s lips. His eyelashes immediately trembled.

He Chuzhou was halfway through the game when his teammate suddenly turned on the mic. In a very obnoxious voice, he scolded everyone except for the female players following him.

He Chuzhou clicked to take a look at his record. As it happened, among those few people, the one with the worst record was the one cursing others. All the female players around him had to be ranked second.

What was the point of this?

Forcefully trying to gain respect after failing to lead the girls?

Trash behavior.

He Chuzhou turned on his mic: “Brother, what did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly, you spoke too fast.”

After speaking, he clicked the built-in ‘record’ button.

The trash talker responded to the request by cursing again, exactly the same as the first time. It could be considered a sort of innate skill.

He Chuzhou sincerely praised him, then shut off the recording and filed a report.

This game was the latest one developed by a studio owned by He Group, and was dedicated to providing players with the most comfortable gaming environment.

The trash talker was unlucky enough to meet a big boss who was casually inspecting the game environment. Unsurprisingly, this account and all accounts under the same ID would no longer appear in the game for the next two weeks.

Trash Talker: “Who’s this fucking weirdo? This noob was lucky to kill a few fucking people. You must think you’re fucking awesome, right?”

Trash Talker: “Didn’t you fuckers join Laozi’s fucking party?”

Trash Talker: “You guys are all just horses and oxen. Didn’t you see I was fighting against four? How about using your fucking skills to grab some kills?”

Trash Talker: “Bunch of idiots with only morons in their household registration book!”

……

He Chuzhou’s teeth ached from the noise.

One of his teammates was so angry that he turned on his mic and started to argue with the guy. He Chuzhou happened to raise his eyes, and didn’t expect to meet Pei Xi’s.

“Am I disturbing you?” he asked.

“No.”

Caught off guard, Pei Xi quickly withdrew his stunned gaze from the other’s lips and stared at the computer: “That kind of person…..don’t pay too much attention to him. He’s a waste of your time.”

The trash talker was still spewing passionately and indiscriminately: “Who do you think you are? Don’t you know how many people I’ve killed in this game? That you’re not even worthy to carry my shoes?”

Trash Talker: “Where was number 6 just now?! Lao Six, if you have the ability, come and fucking challenge me. You owe me for those kills!” 

The female character at the trash talker’s side was likely embarrassed, as she had quit the game early. The character showed as being offline.

A torrent of abuse was poured onto He Chuzhou for no apparent reason as he played, but he showed no sign of anger. Instead, his lips curved amiably and he sent a screenshot of the trash talker’s ID to the IT department.

“Forget it. My family member won’t let me waste time on you.”

“But Brother, I advise you to cherish your last game. Your account is about to be gone.”

“See you.”

Pei Xi was unaware that after He Chuzhou said this, the person on that account had been banned. The moment he heard the words ‘family member,’ he was immersed in the turmoil and chaos of war.

Pei Xi: [brus on djjdjc,….]

Xiao Gu: […..Ah?]

Xiao Gu: [President Pei, are you trying to say that a chicken pecking at a keyboard is better than the Media Department’s plan?]

Pei Xi: “……”

He Chuzhou didn’t have much work that day, and simply dealt with a few emails on his phone. His main task was to sit in the living room with his guest and work with President Pei for most of the day.

Of course, this was a task he had assigned to himself.

As expected, the sky didn’t clear up, and as soon as the rain ended, it started up again.

The weather forecast said that the cloudy, rainy weather would last about a week. As the temperature began to drop, there would be a slight improvement after this week.

Just as Pei Xi clicked on the last pending document, He Chuzhou’s phone rang.

He had switched games and was in a fight. It was inconvenient to exit and answer the call, so he turned on the speakerphone.

Wu Qing: “What are you doing?”

He Chuzhou: “Lying down.”

Wu Qing: “Not working, ah? So leisurely. Can I come over for a meal?”

He Chuzhou didn’t even think before refusing: “If you don’t have food, don’t come over.”

Wu Qing: “Too late, I’m almost at your door. Quick, open the door for me, I’m only in one layer of clothing and it’s really cold!”

He Chuzhou: “? ? ?”

He Chuzhou sat up with a whoosh. “Are you serious?”

Wu Qing: “What do you mean, am I serious? Doesn’t your family live on Tianshan? Quick, open the door.”

He Chuzhou looked up to find Pei Xi looking back at him. The two exchanged glances for an awkward moment.

Finally, Pei Xi broke the deadlock: “Let him in.”

He Chuzhou: “Are you sure?”

Pei Xi: “He’s your friend. There’s no need for you to delay your normal social interactions because of me.”

He Chuzhou got up from the sofa and ruffled his hair: “There’s something you should know. You met Wu Qing when you were confused before and now he thinks we’re in a relationship.”

He thought this would dissuade Pei Xi from letting Wu Qing in, but Pei Xi didn’t have much of a reaction. He just said with a nod: “Understood.”

Okay.

As long as Pei Xi didn’t mind, it didn’t matter.

Wu Qing hadn’t lied. He had indeed arrived.

As soon as He Chuzhou opened the door, he saw him leaping up to the doorstep, holding an umbrella as he muttered: “The weather’s so bad. The wind is so strong that the umbrella can’t keep the rain from hitting me, please let me in to warm up.”

He jumped into the house, letting out a long and cheerful sigh as the warm air enveloped him: “I’m alive — huh?”

He paused in the act of rubbing his hands, then looked at He Chuzhou, who was closing his umbrella as he came in: “You have a guest? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He Chuzhou considered this for a moment, then said straightforwardly: “Yeah, he doesn’t count as a guest.”

Wu Qing: “Ah?”

He Chuzhou: “He lives here.”

This was beyond Wu Qing’s expectations. Just as he started to ask which member of his family it was, the person on the sofa with his back to them turned around and nodded at him in greeting with an austere expression. 

Wu Qing: “…..?”

Wu Qing: “? ? ? ? ?”

*

*

“No way, you’re living together?”

“Brat, you’ve kept this a secret. It’s been so long, and you never said anything.”

“When did it happen?”

“Wait, it seems the two of you are married, so it makes sense that you live together.”

“I still haven’t settled accounts with you for having a flash marriage without telling me!”

He Chuzhou was cutting a fruit plate as Wu Qing hovered around him, talking non-stop.

He Chuzhou simply interrupted him: “Why did you come here all of a sudden?”

Wu Qing: “All of a sudden? Mainly because my dad chased me out very suddenly. I couldn’t help it.”

He Chuzhou: “Why did your dad chase you out?”

Wu Qing: “He told me to go work at the company. I didn’t want to go, so he kicked me out and stopped my card.”

He Chuzhou: “You came to my place for asylum, thinking I’d help you?”

Wu Qing waved his hand: “I’m already here. I’m going to Hawaii on vacation, and I’ll come back when the old man calms down. I fly out tomorrow morning.”

He Chuzhou grasped the key point: “So you want to sleep here for one night?”

Wu Qing: “Yes, ah. What kind of tone is that? I don’t wanna listen to you, I’ll just wear earplugs all night!”

“Don’t overthink it, I’m just asking.”

He Chuzhou placed the last of the cantaloupe onto the fruit plate and picked it up: “Get out. I’ll cook for you later. Don’t get in the way.” 

Wu Qing: “Got it.”

He Chuzhou set the fruit plate on the coffee table and Wu Qing next to him said jokingly: “Thank you, President He.”

He Chuzhou sneered at him as he placed a few toothpicks into the fruit. Then he gave a piece to the still busily working Pei Xi, who said: “Thank you.”

Wu Qing’s ears instantly perked up. He pulled He Chuzhou aside and whispered: “Damn, don’t tell me you married for business!”

He Chuzhou said he was crazy and went to the kitchen to cook.

Pei Xi’s hands slowed where they were typing on the keyboard.

Wu Qing shrugged and walked around the sofa to sit down. He popped a piece of fruit into his mouth and chewed a couple of times as he prepared to address Pei Xi.

But when he opened his mouth, the other party immediately closed his computer and stood up, going to the kitchen.

He Chuzhou saw Pei Xi coming over as he was washing vegetables. Thinking he had come to get something, he stepped aside and asked him: “What are you looking for?”

Pei Xi took a light-hued apron out of the top cabinet and looked up at He Chuzhou: “Turn around.”

He Chuzhou obeyed and turned to face him. 

Pei Xi raised his hands to put the apron around his neck, then wrapped the laces around his waist and tied them. The action looked akin to a hug.

Full of warmth, He Chuzhou’s heart moved slightly as he whispered: “What’s wrong.”

Pei Xi’s voice came from within his arms: “Won’t your friend think we’re too distant?”

He Chuzhou understood, and couldn’t keep the corners of his mouth from rising.

The open kitchen allowed those in the living room a panoramic view of the kitchen. Wu Qing sat there blankly, foolishly holding a toothpick in his hand.

Pei Xi fastened the strings and stepped away. Not looking up at He Chuzhou, he said simply: “Give me something to keep me busy.”

He Chuzhou gave him the easiest job — soaking dried mushrooms in a pot.

Of course, he had learned from his previous mistake and used a precise quantity this time.

When Pei Xi went aside with the dried mushrooms, he lowered his head and admired the floral apron he was wearing for a moment, then took out his phone and typed with one hand: 

He Chuzhou: [Hey, you have good eyes. Help me see if the bow is tied at the back.]

Wu Qing: […..? Damn you!]

Wu Qing: [Are you two just playing with me for fun? Fuck!]

Wu Qing: [I can’t stay here any longer! I want to change my ticket! I’m flying out at midnight tonight!]

He Chuzhou: [Ah, my friend, don’t. Stay for two more days. I’ll provide accommodations and a seafood dinner for you.]

In a corner where no one was paying attention, Pei Xi soaked a precise amount of mushrooms in a pot and touched the tips of his ears with wet fingers to physically cool himself down.

---

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Chapter 36 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 38

“So just in case, and I’m saying just in case, if I can’t return and show you the way tonight and you’re really taken away by Lord Hong, just light this candle.” Teacher Xu’s tone was extremely calm.

However, Li Xiu couldn’t relax at all after hearing these words. He just looked at the teacher before him with incomparable fear, an astringent feeling in his nose.

“Light it…..and then what happens? What happens next?” Li Xu asked.

Teacher Xu was silent for a moment when a smile suddenly appeared at the corners of his mouth.

That smile was different from anything Li Xiu had seen before.

The smile currently on Teacher Xu’s face was not gentle at all. It could even be said that it contained an unusual arrogant and unruly temperament.

The originally tranquil, weary middle-aged teacher seemed to gain a youthful air in this moment, as if he wasn’t afraid of anything.

Teacher Xu blinked at Li Xiu. “I don’t know either.”

“I don’t know at all whether I can survive against that thing.” The spiritual master briskly explained to Li Xiu: “But let me tell you, those dead old fellows from over a decade ago shouldn’t have worked so meticulously to deal with such a vicious thing. They should have answered viciousness with viciousness and fought with their lives.”

“How can a person be afraid of ghosts?”

Li Xiu’s eyelids twitched when he heard these words, and an ominous feeling immediately arose in his heart.

The candle Teacher Xu had given him just now…..what fueled it? 

As soon as he had this idea, the candle in his hand felt surprisingly hot.

He subconsciously went to give the candle back to Teacher Xu, but the latter didn’t give him a chance.

As Li Xiu was in a daze, the older man opened the car door and walked out with no expression on his face.

The fog was so dense.

The moment Teacher Xu walked outside, it was like he had been swallowed by a huge, terrifying monster.

His figure instantly vanished into the fog.

And those rigid, frightening figures staggered away from the car as if they had sensed something.

“Teacher Xu!”

Qiao Yang covered his mouth. Although he had no clear view, he continued to stare in the direction Teacher Xu had gone.

“……”

Li Xiu kept looking out the window.

Amidst the tension, Fang Qian’an suddenly shook Li Xiu’s hand and called out to him: “It’s okay, A-Xiu. Teacher Xu will be fine. Isn’t he really capable?” 

He was obviously so afraid of ghosts, but still tried to feign being calm and composed in front of Li Xiu. Although…..he wasn’t very successful.

In the passenger seat ahead of them, Qiao Yang chattered continuously.

“He’ll be fine, I can feel it.”

“Yes, ah, my teacher is very powerful.”

He seemed to be talking both to himself and the others in the vehicle.

“I’m not just saying that. Teacher Xu is the most powerful master I’ve ever met. I heard that he had a hand in another reanimated corpse suppression. He’s the youngest spiritual master. He only went to find a path this time…..just to find a path…..”

If Qiao Yang hadn’t been crying as he spoke, his self-comfort might have been a little more convincing.

Time seemed to stretch.

Just as Li Xiu was staring out the window, so anxious that he felt as if his nerves were about to snap…..

Clap, clapclap—

He heard brisk clapping.

Li Xiu and Qiao Yang sat up straight at the same time and shouted in great surprise.

“He’s right outside!”

“He should be at the cemetery entrance!”

The clapping soon started once more.

At this moment, Qiao Yang seemed to think of something and hurriedly urged the other two to get out of the car: “Q-quickly! Teacher must have spent a lot of spiritual power!”

“I don’t know how long Teacher can hold out in his situation. We need to go out. Remember what Teacher said, while you’re going forward…..”

Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu spoke in unison:

“You must not open your eyes.”

“Don’t open your eyes.”

Hearing these answers from the two, Qiao Jin forced a smile. Then he pulled off his tie, cut it into two pieces with his pocket knife, and handed them to the two boys in front of him.

“Tie them on,” he said. “It’s time to go.”

Qiao Yang watched Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu tie them around their eyes. Then, he hardened his heart and opened the car door.

When they got out, the thick fog heavily enveloped them. The figures looming in the fog slowly turned toward them and staggered forward.

Ding-ling—

Through the thick, humid fog, the ringing of the bells in the car could still be faintly heard, sending a chill down Li Xiu’s spine.

There was a turbid, moist odor in the fog, and Li Xiu felt like every breath he took was through a wet rag sticking to his mouth and nose. That cold and gloomy sensation seemed to penetrate into the depths of Li Xiu’s body through his pores.

Clap, clapclap—

He didn’t know why, but after getting out of the car, Teacher Xu’s clapping seemed to be much fainter than when they were inside. The sound of the wind, a thin wailing sound with unclear whispers, diluted and fragmented the clapping.

Li Xiu had to stop and listen hard from time to time in order to just barely discern the direction of the clapping.

After walking like this for a short while, he felt a slight movement on his shoulders.

[“A-Xiu, ah…..”]

[“Why are you walking with your eyes covered? Seriously, you’ll fall if you walk like this, ah…..”]

Li Xiu’s heart palpitated at the sound of his grandmother’s old voice.

[“How can Grandma feel at ease when you’re like this…..”]

Holding back tears, Li Xiu pressed a copper coin to the back of his grandmother’s cold, clammy hand.

Fwoosh—

Li Xiu seemed to hear something akin to rising flames. Immediately afterward, the shoulder that had become cold and stiff under the touch of his “grandmother” felt a burning warmth.

And the weight that had previously pressed on Li Xiu’s shoulder vanished in an instant.

Li Xiu sniffled, walking forward and quickly as possible along with that warmth.

Clapclap—

The clapping came from in front of him to the left.

But Li Xiu had only walked a few steps when he heard Teacher Xu’s anxious voice coming from the other direction: “Wait, Li Xiu, don’t go any farther!”

The youth paused in his steps.

A shiver ran through his body, and his stomach began to slightly clench.

“That thing is imitating my clapping! Li Xiu, come this way!” Teacher Xu continued.

The tie around Li Xiu’s eyes was soaked with the cold sweat slowly rolling down his forehead.

Li Xiu only remained in place for a few seconds. He resumed walking toward the front left, and felt something brush his cheek.

Something like…..hair.

“Li Xiu, stop! Don’t go any farther!”

“Lord Hong is in front of you!”

Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang’s voices came one after another.

There was a faint rancid smell in the humid fog.

Clap….clap….

Yet the clapping continued to sound from in front of Li Xiu.

Gritting his teeth, Li Xiu tried his utmost to avoid turning around.

Teacher Xu once said that you shouldn’t believe a word from this kind of “thing.”

The back of his neck was already sticky and itchy. Long, wet hair was all over Li Xiu’s neck like a living thing. When it was about to burrow into his collar — Li Xiu found an opportunity and flung a copper coin behind him with all his strength.

“Wu—”

There was a wail of pain, and the hair that had fallen upon him vanished.

Along with the panicked calls from Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang.

Li Xiu’s knees weakened due to his nerves, and he almost fell.

He knew that this time, he’d made the right call…..those sounds were not from Teacher Xu or Qiao Yang. But…..what about next time?

Would he be so lucky next time?

And would any of the others get confused?

Countless thoughts swirled in Li Xiu’s mind, but he could only bite the bullet and move forward.

He occasionally bumped into some “people” during this period. Sometimes he even sensed those things at the tip of his nose, staring at him with bloodshot scarlet eyes.

And every time, he would find a way to use the copper coins.

Every coin dispelled the ghostly sensation of being watched and entangled by the otherworld. 

However…..

The more Li Xiu walked forward, the more he felt like Teacher Xu’s clapping was gettering farther and farther away. How long would he have to grope through the darkness like this before he was free? Li Xiu had no idea. All he knew was that his original handful of copper coins was depleting the more he went forward.

As the coins dwindled, Li Xiu’s heart tightened with every step he took.

Clapclap —

Finally, when Li Xiu had only two coins left in his palm, he heard very distinct clapping.

This time the clapping was so close that it seemed to ring from just before his eyes.

Li Xiu’s spirits soared as he realized he was about to get out of the night fog.

But in the next moment, he heard a whisper.

The eerie male voice Li Xiu had heard countless times in his dreams sounded right next to his ear.

[“A-Xiu, why are you so disobedient?”]

Right then, there was a shooting pain in Li Xiu’s disabled right foot.

— Something had grabbed his ankle.

Li Xiu screamed uncontrollably, and due to his unsteadiness, he fell to the ground before he could throw a copper coin.

The last two coins rolled out of the youth’s palm.

“Wu—”

Li Xiu sucked in a breath of cold air and began to desperately search for them on the ground.

However, what his hands touched was a face that had long lost its elasticity.

When he touched it, he could even feel his finger accidentally penetrate an already empty eye socket.

The youth whimpered again in terror.

[“Li Xiu—”]

Song Cheng’s voice rang out.

Then came Wang Rongfa’s vicious cursing.

[“Little cripple. Keep running away if you have the ability—”]

Li Xiu’s knees softened as he felt something soft and boneless hang across his back, heavy and and wet.

Twisted knuckles dug into Li Xiu’s neck bit by bit, constricting his breathing.

Li Xiu’s blindfold fell off during the struggle.

The copper coins!

As long as he had the copper coins, he could drive these things away!

The desire to survive mixed with his intense fear, and Li Xiu could barely control his instinct to open his eyes and search for the coins.

But he still couldn’t find them. 

Was he….going to be trapped here?

Or would the evil spirits kill him directly?

A feeling of despair came over him like a tsunami.

“Help me…..wu…..”

Just when Li Xiu was about to give up and open his eyes, he was suddenly grabbed and pulled up from the ground.

“Don’t open your eyes! You idiot!”

A boy’s rough voice exploded in Li Xiu’s ears.

Right after, several copper coins were stuffed into Li Xiu’s palm.

“Take them and go straight forward! The exit is right in front of you!” Li Xiu heard Fang Qian’an shout.

The school bully’s voice was still as domineering as ever, but Li Xiu could tell that Fang Qian’an’s voice was shaking badly.

Everyone was blindfolded.

So how had Fang Qian’an known he had fallen?

Unless, after hearing his screams, he was stupid enough to tear off his blindfold and open his eyes.

Only then did he discover that he was in a desperate situation.

“Fang Qian’an?”

Li Xiu subconsciously reached out to grab the boy, but Fang Qian’an avoided his fingertips.

The boy shoved Li Xiu hard.

Li Xiu staggered a few steps and felt the air around him suddenly become lighter.

“Damnit! Fang—” Li Xiu also heard Teacher Xu’s voice. The other party seemed to call out to Fang Qian’an but cut himself off halfway. “Li Xiu, don’t stop. Hurry, move forward!”

He even heard Qiao Yang shout: “Li Xiu, why are you standing there? Come on, ah!”

Inexplicably, Li Xiu was sure this time that the people speaking were the real Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang, rather than ghostly imitations in the fog.

But Li Xiu couldn’t help but stay in place.

Li Xiu turned and opened his arms to feel around, shouting: “Fang Qian’an? Where are you? Did you get out?”

Fang Qian’an scolded him again: “A-Xiu, you idiot, I’m out! What are you still looking for, get a move on, ah—”

But Li Xiu didn’t leave according to Fang Qian’an’s demand.

“I’m sorry,” Li Xiu murmured to Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang, who didn’t seem to be far away.

“I’m really sorry…..”

He was panting violently, lines of physiological tears running from the corners of his eyes due to the extreme stress and fear.

“I can’t…..I can’t leave Fang Qian’an here alone. He’ll die.”

Then, Li Xiu opened his eyes.

There were two blurry forms right in front of him. Through the thin fog, Li Xiu could clearly see the wan faces of Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang. Teacher Xu’s face was distorted, as if he was still shouting something at him.

But Li Xiu heard nothing. Their faces only appeared for a moment before the thick fog surged in and completely obscured their figures.

Li Xiu let out a sob, shuddering as he turned around.

Then he saw Fang Qian’an’s pale gray face.

When he met Li Xiu’s gaze, Fang Qian’an’s eyes flashed slightly.

An extremely weak whisper fell from his gray lips.

“I fucking…..don’t need you…..to save me…..run away…..ah…..idiot…..”

“A-Xiu, run away.”

Then the luster in his eyes disappeared completely. 

The tall 1.9 meter boy’s body hung like limp dough from the fingertips of a looming red figure.

The monster’s face was blurry as it leaned forward slightly in the thick fog. There seemed to be a pair of real eyes inside the abyss-like eye sockets, staring intently at Li Xiu.

[“A-Xiu.”]

[“My A-Xiu…..”]

It reached out and held Li Xiu’s head.

And Li Xiu trembled as he faced it straight-on.

“Ge…..Gege.” With difficulty, Li Xiu spoke softly to the terrifying monster.

*

*

[“A-Xiu, ah, don’t be afraid.”]

[“This is your gege.”]

[“As long as you treat him as your gege, he will never harm you.”]

---

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Chapter 55 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 57

“Nonsense, over and over again.”

Just when the atmosphere inside the car became extremely stagnant, Teacher Xu sneered and threw the still yapping remains of the cell phone out of the car.

Afterward, he turned with a calm expression to look at the other three people in the car. He said evenly: “I’ve told you many times that this kind of ghost specializes in attacking the human heart. If you hear this type of ghost start to talk, you shouldn’t believe a word of it. It’s best to not even listen.”

He gestured with his hands a few times in the driver’s seat, seeming to calculate something.

After a few minutes, the wrinkles between his eyebrows seemed to loosen a bit.

“Tsk, shouldn’t that be right? The Martyrs Cemetery should be right next to us.”

Qiao Yang had relaxed momentarily after Teacher Xu spoke, but then he stared at the increasingly obvious “human figures” outside the window and asked in a panic: “B-but Teacher, how do we get there?”

Teacher Xu lowered his head and moved his hand, grabbing a paper cup from the glove box and pouring some wolfberry water into it. Then he dipped his fingertips in it and drew a few vague strokes on the top of the cup.

He rolled the window down and reached his hand out with the cup, pouring it around the car.

“Wuuuuuu….”

“Wuu….”

All of a sudden, the shadows that had gathered together receded significantly as faint, bizarre cries rose from the fog.

The bells in the car stopped jingling.

There seemed to be a faint wind blowing.

The originally thick and suffocating night fog also faded quite a bit with the wind.

“Look!” Li Xiu shouted in surprise.

Just as Teacher Xu had said, they were, in fact, not going in circles — the Martyrs Cemetery was actually not far from them at all.

At a glance, Li Xiu saw the black and white gates of the Martyrs Cemetery outside the car. Through a thin layer of fog, he could even spy the dimly-lit security booth on the other side of the gates, as well as the security guard inside who was playing with his cell phone.

“Hey! Over here—”

Qiao Yang also grew excited and shouted continuously toward the cemetery guard.

However, even though they were only ten meters apart, they seemed to be in a completely different world from the guard in the security booth. No matter how the people in the car called out to draw the other party’s attention, he still turned a deaf ear and focused all of his attention on the cell phone in his hand.

“Hateful!”

Qiao Yang was so angry that he could jump up and down. By the looks of him, he almost wanted to get out of the car and rush into the cemetery.

But at this moment, the disturbingly thick fog began to envelop them again, and the reassuring cemetery gates were once again hidden in depths of a churning, reddish fog.

Ding-ling—

The “human figures” that had vanished just now once again appeared in everyone’s field of vision.

The brass bells at the four corners of the car cabin rang once again.

Teacher Xu’s expression shifted slightly.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the handful of coins that had been hanging on the rearview mirror.

“Teacher?” When he saw what he was doing, Qiao Yang’s eyes widened in shock.

He seemed to know something that Li Xiu and Fang Qian’an didn’t, and immediately shouted in worry: “Wait, Teacher, like this—”

Teacher Xu clenched his hand into a fist and coughed twice. Before Qiao Yang could finish speaking, he quickly waved for him to be silent.

“It’s alright.”

“How can we get out of this situation unless we go all-out?” The man said in a profound voice.

Then he untied the copper coins from the fuzzy red string and, one by one, divided them into four groups and placed them in front of the windshield.

Li Xiu had always been adept at observing a person’s every word and emotion. Based on the few words exchanged between Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang, he keenly sensed a strange atmosphere.

He couldn’t help but ask: “Teacher Xu, what are you doing?”

“It’s nothing, just a means of saving our lives. Although they harm one’s vitality, they must still be used. Ai, this night is truly arduous…..”

He smiled bitterly as he spoke to the frightened youth in the back seat, then motioned for Li Xiu, Fang Qian’an, and Qiao Yang to hold out their hands.

Everyone was given a handful of copper coins.

They couldn’t tell what year the copper coins were from, but Li Xiu felt that these things were unusual when he received them. It was clearly just a small handful of copper coins, but they felt warm, even a little hot.

Moreover, each of those copper coins was so heavy that it made his hand hurt.

Seeing that everyone had received their coins, the older man explained word by word: “Cough, cough. Listen to me. We’re currently trapped in a ghost maze, and things are going to get very tricky. Because this time, there is indeed ‘something’ in the fog.”

“Right now, if we keep our eyes open and look outside, we will definitely be trapped in this hellhole,” Teacher Xu said, glancing at the thick fog outside the window.

“I only have one method at this point, though it’s not a solution…..I’ll get out of the car in a moment and explore the path. If I can escape, I’ll clap my hands from a safe place. So as long as you hear clapping, don’t hesitate to leave the car.”

“G-get out?”

“Get out?”

“…..”

Hearing that they were to get out of the car, let alone unlucky high school students Li Xiu and Fang Qian’an, even Qiao Yang had a hint of fear in his eyes. Teacher Xu saw this, and his tone was inevitably stained with a hint of solemnity.

“Yes, just follow my clapping when you get out of the car, and you should be able to walk out. However, there is something I need to tell you carefully — as soon as you get out of the car, you must close your eyes.” Teacher Xu spoke with unprecedented seriousness.

“When you get out of the car, there will be nothing to protect you. If you open your eyes, I fear that you won’t simply be disoriented by the ghost. Instead, you will be directly taken to the otherworld. If that is that case, you will be trapped in that hell with no way out.”

Although Teacher Xu tried his best to speak as calmly as possible, anyone could hear the grave tension in his voice.

Li Xiu glanced at Fang Qian’an and thought he looked like a cat with its fur puffed up.

“Walk with our eyes closed? What if the things in the fog get us?” Fang Qian’an said in horror.

The former school bully looked like a stressed out cat as he questioned fearfully: “Teacher Xu, didn’t you say that outside our car…..there are only ghosts?”

The youth’s voice trembled.

Li Xiu lowered his eyes and held himself back for a moment. But when he was finally unable to endure, he reached out and gently grabbed Fang Qian’an’s wrist.

He even suspected that Fang Qian’an was scared to tears.

“Fang Qian’an, listen to Teacher Xu,” Li Xiu said.

Faced with Fang Qian’an’s doubts, Teacher Xu calmly pointed at the handful of copper coins in everyone’s hands. “Isn’t that why I gave these to you? Don’t be afraid. If something does grab you, give them a copper coin and follow the directions I’ve given you.”

“When you get out of this haunted area, you will know when to open your eyes.”

“But before that, I must say again — do not open your eyes while you’re finding your way.”

Teacher Xu patted Qiao Yang after he spoke.

“…..Qiao Yang, if you all don’t hear me clap, I’ll have to rely on you.”

“R-rely on me? But I-I don’t know what to do…..wu…..Teacher…..”

Qiao Yang’s eyes were already filled with tears.

Obviously, the “path exploration” that Teacher Xu lightly touched upon was probably not as simple as the man said.

Teacher Xu said softly to Qiao Yang: “After all, you’ve learned so much from me,” Teacher Xu said. “I should actually be the one protecting you, but isn’t this a special situation? Classmates Li and Fang are both still students, and can only rely on you now. Xiao Qiao, ah, you still need to hold on.”

Qiao Yang grasped Teacher Xu’s hand.

When such a big man started to cry, his face was covered with snot and tears.

Qiao Yang spoke hurriedly: “I’ll do it, Teacher, or how about I go? If…..if finding the path doesn’t work, you can think of other methods.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Qiao Yang shuddered under Teacher Xu’s stern gaze. “With you wailing this much, it makes me feel like I’m really going to die. Qiao Yang, ah, do you really not trust your teacher? Besides, where can there be a teacher squatting in the back and waiting for the students to go into an array—”

When Teacher Xu was done speaking, he turned his attention to Li Xiu. His deep eyes inadvertently revealed a complicated look, making the already anxious youth even more fearful.

“Teacher Xu…..”

“Li Xiu, ah…..”

Teacher Xu concealed the deep thoughts in his eyes and suddenly got up, reaching out to pat Li Xiu’s head.

Then he flicked his wrist, and Li Xiu felt something else in his hand.

It was an ordinary-looking candle.

Li Xiu’s eyes widened at the candle in his hand, and his heart skipped a beat.

Of course he couldn’t regard this as an ‘ordinary’ candle. He remembered clearly that when he was trapped by Lord Hong…..it was his grandmother and Fang Qian’an who lit the ‘candles’ and brought him back to their own world.

“Wait. Teacher Xu, this is…..”

“Alright, don’t talk.” Teacher Xu lowered his voice and signaled Li Xiu to be quiet. “You are the youngest and your situation is the most particular. That Lord Hong has also been watching you, ah…..ai, there’s really nothing about your situation that can make me rest assured.”

The man said quietly: “But don’t be afraid, Li Xiu. Although your grandmother only learned a little bit, since she was able to raise that thing until now without any problems, she must have used some sort of special magic.”

Hearing this, Qiao Yang couldn’t help looking at Li Xiu.

Ah, yes.

Qiao Yang also recalled that Li Xiu had a special constitution.

Teacher Xu turned to the side and said word by word into Li Xiu’s ear: “…..You saw that when Lord Hong brought all those evil spirits before, we couldn’t do anything about them. You, and only you, can hurt them.”

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Chapter 54 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 56

When Liu Zhenqing woke up, Huo Fenglie had already carried him back to camp and placed him safely in bed.

Those in the military camp became lively when they saw Huo Fenglie carrying someone back with a smile on his face.

“Did they reconcile?”

“They must have reconciled! Didn’t you see the general taking him back to his nest?”

“I’ve never seen such a silly smile on the general’s face!”

“It’s fortunate that they reconciled. I haven’t dared to breathe these days.”

“Don’t say such things. The general summoned us and I don’t know what it’s about.”

In order to not disturb the sleeping Liu Zhenqing, everyone went to a different meeting place.

When Huo Fenglie saw that everyone had come, he announced only two things.

Firstly, that he and Liu Zhenqing were engaged. Therefore, Liu Zhenqing was the future general’s wife and everyone must acknowledge his identity.

Everyone looked at Huo Fenglie with wide eyes as soon as this news was conveyed, admiration swelling in their hearts once more. This was indeed General Huo, ah. Not long ago, he was like a silly young man who’d fallen in love for the first time, and now he was engaged in the blink of an eye. When the general took action, he was extraordinary.

Secondly, Huo Fenglie would take his own guards to build a special courtyard around the place Liu Zhenqing had proposed.

Huo Fenglie was reluctant to let such a beautiful setting disappear. He wanted to preserve it forever, and even the boat on the lake couldn’t be left out.

Afterward, he handed out the design sketches. After all, he had designed the courtyard in the General’s Manor and was very talented in this aspect, but his mood this time was completely different.

When he had explained everything, he couldn’t wait to return to the tent.

Liu Zhenqing had awoken by this time. He stood up, blinking hazily as Huo Fenglie returned, then said with some dissatisfaction: “From now on, you must wake me up every day when you leave and let me know where you’re going and what you’re doing. I don’t want to wake up and be unable to find my little wife.”

Little wife Huo Fenglie felt somewhat ill at ease upon hearing this. He hurried forward to sit on the edge of the bed, but felt at a bit of a loss when he sat down. He could only look Liu Zhenqing in the face with deep, uncontrollable joy in his eyes. It was still like viewing flowers through a layer of fog, his dream having come true so suddenly that he didn’t know what to do with himself.

Liu Zhenqing took advantage of the situation to snuggle into Huo Fenglie’s arms.

Huo Fenglie was stunned for a moment, then quickly embraced him: “Qing-ge, do you want to sleep some more?”

“Aren’t you going to train?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

Huo Fenglie shook his head: “No need.”

“Then sleep with me for a while,” Liu Zhenqing said in a low voice. His body was as soft as a willow as he clung to Huo Fenglie’s arms.

Huo Fenglie hugged him and laid down.

The two of them gazed at each other as they laid there, and Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but draw nearer.

Although he had gotten used to kissing, every time Liu Zhenqing kissed Huo Fenglie, he sensed that the other party was restraining himself, a bit passive and slow. But Liu Zhenqing also liked this sort of restraint. He deliberately played tricks to tease him and felt Huo Fenglie gradually stiffen. Becoming more and more amused, he ended with a bite to the tip of the other’s tongue.

Huo Fenglie was already used to such things, and lowered his head to look at him with some indulgence on his face.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes were filled with undisguised lust, endlessly tormenting him.

Grasping the other’s hand, Liu Zhenqing interlocked their fingers:“When we wake up, I’ll write the marriage letter for you.”

“Okay.”

“Do you like the ring?”

“I like it.”

“You have to wear it forever.”

“En.”

“When did you start liking me?”

Huo Fenglie’s arms were warm and cozy, at the most comfortable angle for Liu Zhenqing. He was gradually feeling sleepy, but wanted to talk with Huo Fenglie for a while.

However, Huo Fenglie went quiet when he asked this question.

Liu Zhenqing lifted his eyelids with difficulty to see the other party giving him a strange look. He asked: “Do you not remember?”

“You…..don’t remember?” Huo Fenglie asked.

Liu Zhenqing thought for a moment, then shook his head. He really had no impression. Huo Fenglie was rather clingy to him before, but how could he have known that Er-gou had such thoughts about him?

Huo Fenglie’s eyelashes lowered, concealing a flash of disappointment.

“I actually can’t say specifically when. I had a crush when I was very young. After all, your significance to me was never the same, but it was fixed in place when I saw you pretend to be a bride when you went south with our family. I had a dream that night that we got married, and then…..”

Liu Zhenqing saw Huo Fenglie pause, as if the subsequent words were difficult to say. He burst into laughter. “And then the candle-lit bridal chamber?”

Huo Fenglie nodded, blushing.

Suspicious, Liu Zhenqing guessed: “Er-gou’s body had reacted when he woke up. How old was he at that time, ah. Let me think, perhaps that was his first time…..”

“Qing-ge, s-stop talking. It’s my fault. I had unrealistic fantasies and offended you in my heart. I…..”

Huo Fenglie was anxious. How could a young man express his thoughts so openly and honestly?

Liu Zhenqing reached out and grasped Huo Fenglie’s chin. He shook it and said: “Bad boy.”

Huo Fenglie’s face reddened.

Seeing Er-gou like this, Liu Zhenqing’s heart raced and he couldn’t help but pretend to tease him.

“If I hadn’t gone to sea at that time, would Er-gou still be lying next to me? Then dream about me…..embrace me…..and beg me to touch you?” Liu Zhenqing said in a seductive tone.

Huo Fenglie was stunned, instantly recalling the embarrassment he’d felt at that time.

Narrowing his eyes, Liu Zhenqing said: “Perhaps you were muddle-headed from sleep and really took off my clothes as if we were in a candle-lit wedding chamber.”

Huo Fenglie’s eyes widened at once, and he shook his head.

Liu Zhenqing: “After all, I sleep like the dead. I wouldn’t notice anything you did to me, even if it hurt…..after it was over, Er-gou might have secretly cleaned me up in order to eliminate the evidence. When I woke up in the morning, I would feel uncomfortable everywhere, not knowing that I was eaten and wiped clean by Er-gou. I would just think it was an erotic dream. Er-gou…..was he good or bad, oh?”

Huo Fenglie quickly raised his hand to cover Liu Zhenqing’s mouth, his face on fire. Liu Zhenqing’s eyebrows curved as he smiled. He suddenly licked Huo Fenglie’s hand, which made him let go in surprise.

Liu Zhenqing turned over and lay directly on top of Huo Fenglie. While nipping the other’s excellent jawline, he said: “What a pity. Er-gou, you know I’m the most soft-hearted. If you woke me up at that time, maybe Qing-ge would have helped you out. If you did anything to me while I was asleep, even if I woke up and found out, I wouldn’t blame you. Who made me care about you the most back then? If your Huo family caught you, they would have definitely given you to me in compensation on the spot to take responsibility. You missed the best opportunity.”

The dignified general who guards the country was teased by Liu Zhenqing until his face and ears turned red. His mind was filled with uncontrollable fantasies, and his body couldn’t help but react somewhat.

Seeing that Huo Fenglie had been teased to his limit, Liu Zhenqing asked with a smile: “Are you eager to find a hole and crawl into it?”

Huo Fenglie returned to his senses and looked over. In Liu Zhenqing’s eyes, his cold face actually looked a little aggrieved.

Huo Fenglie remained silent, nodding in embarrassment. After being teased like this by Liu Zhenqing, who wouldn’t want to find a hole to crawl into in shame?

But in the face of such an Er-gou, Liu Zhenqing had a bad temperament and liked to stir things up. So how could he not do bad things?

He took Huo Fenglie’s hand and brought it behind his back.

Huo Fenglie thought Qing-ge wanted a hug, but in the next moment, his hand was forced to press down on a soft, rounded piece of flesh.

“Right here…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s smiling tone tugged at Huo Fenglie’s every nerve. 

He sat up suddenly, withdrew his hand, and covered his nose.

Liu Zhenqing was startled by his actions. Looking up, he saw a nosebleed spilling between the gaps in Huo Fenglie’s hand.

Liu Zhenqing blinked, then burst into laughter. The entire tent was filled with his laughter, all sleepiness laughed away.

Huo Fenglie could only rush out in embarrassment.

When he returned, he found Liu Zhenqing lying on his side of the bed, holding his head in one hand. Looking at him with a malicious smile, he patted the side of the bed and called him over.

Huo Fenglie couldn’t go over there, so he sat at the table and pretended to handle official business.

Liu Zhenqing saw his low-spirited appearance and knew he had gone too far.

“You promised to accompany me to sleep.”

“I’m accompanying you.”

“I want a hug.”

“You can hug a pillow.”

“Hmph. You’re acting so cold right after getting engaged. As expected, once men attain something, they fail to cherish it. There’s no telling how coldly I’ll be treated in the future…..men, ah, they change their minds so quickly.”

Huo Fenglie’s eyebrows jumped at Liu Zhenqing’s words.

Donning a dejected look, Liu Zhenqing turned around and went to sleep.

Sure enough, after a moment, there was movement behind him. In the next second, a warm body approached and embraced him from behind.

Liu Zhenqing felt Huo Fenglie’s breath on the back of his neck, the other party obediently pressing his forehead against the back of his head.

Even though he knew he was acting, he was still well-behaved and obedient. It was so cute.

Liu Zhenqing wanted to turn around and kiss him.

But as soon as Huo Fenglie felt him move, he held him tightly.

“Qing-ge, stop making trouble and rest well,” Huo Fenglie said in a hoarse voice. Then he added, “I’m begging you to stop teasing me.”

Liu Zhenqing deliberately rubbed against his body and, sure enough, felt something. It was clear that he hadn’t settled down.

His small movements made Huo Fenglie gasp.

“So what if I tease you. Don’t you like it?”

“I like it,” Huo Fenglie said in a dull voice. “But…..we’re not married yet. Qing-ge, please have mercy.”

“You really learned this old-fashioned attitude from your brother!” Liu Zhenqing was frustrated.

The more decent Huo Fenglie was, the more agitated Liu Zhenqing became. The desire to win rose in his heart. He, an old lecher, was going to break this little prude’s discipline and see if he had the ability to stir up the general who guards the country until he lost control.

However, seeing how pitiful he was today, Liu Zhenqing let him off.

On the other side, Yuan Jue had received the confidential letter. It was only a few hundred words long, but he looked at it for a full hour. If he wasn’t able to discern its authenticity, he would have truly had doubts.

Huo Fenglie coveted another man from the Liu family, lost his sense of proportion, and directly tortured Prince Qiao An?

He was in love with another person?

Huo Fenglie had discovered the truth about Qiao An. Yuan Jue was not surprised, but the method of discovery did astonish him. Suddenly, he discovered that he didn’t understand his general.

A year ago, Huo Fenglie was conspicuously apathetic and could even be said to feel hopeless about life, but now he had come alive.

Yuan Jue lightly tapped the table. Glancing over the few words about Liu Xiaozhu in the confidential letter, he frowned in displeasure.

Very soon, a reply was sent back.

Huo Fenglie took the letter to read with Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing glanced over it twice and said: “Sure enough, he already knew.”

Huo Fenglie nodded. The letter said that he had originally planned to have Huo Fenglie hand over affairs in the south to his subordinates before the Longevity Festival, and have him secretly return to the capital alone. Since Huo Fenglie had figured things out himself, he would let him finish his operations and then return to the capital before the festival.

Sure enough, when it came to security, Yuan Jue trusted Huo Fenglie the most.

Soon afterwards, news came from Qiao Jin that because Huo Fenglie had placed Qiao An under house arrest and those in the capital couldn’t contact him, they could only reach out to Qiao Jin, who replied: Huo Fenglie discovered that people close to Qiao An were suspected of leaking information to the outside world, so he arrested and tortured them. In order to keep the secret, those people committed suicide. Huo Fenglie was very cautious, and put Qiao An under guard with nobody else around him. Thus, contact was lost, but the plan could still be implemented.

On the surface, Qiao Jin was still one of theirs, so his words were naturally somewhat credible.

At least there wouldn’t be any problems before they rushed back to the capital.

They found Tang Rou, Dai Tingyu, and some of Huo Fenglie’s trusted subordinates, and after explaining everything, they set off.

But their first stop was Medical Valley.

Not only because they promised Liu Zhenqing’s master that they would visit before leaving, but also because they needed Liu Qiao’s body taken care of.

Liu Qiao brought a letter to Qiao Jin. Liu Zhenqing thought they would have to wait a while, but Liu Qiao soon returned.

Liu Zhenqing was surprised that Qiao Jin hadn’t taken advantage of Liu Qiao’s return to make a fuss and keep him there.

But two days later, when the three of them arrived at Medical Valley on horseback, Liu Zhenqing was not so surprised.

“Yo, majestic King of Western Shu, are you guarding the gate here?” Liu Zhenqing asked with a smile when he saw Qiao Jin standing at the entrance of Medical Valley.

Qiao Jin rolled his eyes at Liu Zhenqing and looked at Liu Qiao.

Liu Qiao jumped off his horse and asked in confusion: “Why are you here?”

“Since it’s a miracle doctor treating you, I naturally wanted to come and listen in case you forget anything you should pay attention to, such as what medicinal materials are needed for long-term use. I’ll prepare them for you too.” Qiao Jin took it for granted that he should act as the patient’s family member.

Liu Zhenqing had already been helped off the horse by Huo Fenglie. He stepped forward and said: “Little demon, you’re rather attentive.”

Qiao Jin looked at the two of them and said: “I hear you’re engaged?”

“News spreads quickly.” Liu Zhenqing said in surprise, “What, did you bring us an engagement gift?”

“Why should I give you a gift?”

“I’m your cousin, ah. We’re each other’s only living relatives.” Liu Zhenqing spoke so emotionally that Qiao Jin almost felt sick.

He scoffed coldly: “I’m just here to warn you that it’s not only Western Shu that knows about it. Other countries should have received word, and you’ll be the focus of the enemy’s attention from here on.”

Huo Fenglie, who had not yet spoken, frowned when Qiao Jin said this.

Liu Zhenqing shrugged and said with an indifferent expression: “As the general’s wife, it would be strange if everyone wasn’t paying attention to me. A person like me is destined to be unable to hide in the background. It’s no use worrying about me.”

“Who’s worried about you, ah? I’m worried about Liu Qiao. He’s following you now, and if something were to happen, he’ll be the first one to get hurt. Envoys are coming to court at the Longevity Festival, but I can’t go. You behave yourself and don’t cause trouble for Liu Qiao,” Qiao Jin said directly.

Before Liu Zhenqing could react, Liu Qiao’s slap had already landed on the back of Qiao Jin’s head. “Mind your tone around Master. He’s your cousin.”

Qiao Jin staggered from the blow, feeling angry and aggrieved. He could only glare at the extremely biased Liu Qiao.

There was a fuss amongst them for a while, and someone from Medical Valley came to pick them up.

Ordinary people couldn’t enter Medical Valley because it was full of traps and poisons. Even the most capable masters could only narrowly escape death.

When Liu Zhenqing and the others were brought in, the first person they saw was Han Ye.

Han Ye and Liu Qiao were acquainted. Liu Qiao had run off before he could be cured, which made a doctor like Han Ye feel upset for a while. Seeing that Liu Qiao had come back again, he declared that the treatment would be completed properly and also scolded Liu Qiao with a venomous tongue. Because this was the King of Hell, even though Liu Zhenqing was dissatisfied with Liu Qiao being scolded, he could only rein in his anger.

It was fate that Song Xingmu and Liu Qiao had once more become Han Ye’s patients.

Liu Zhenqing took Huo Fenglie to see his master.

The master saw that everyone was safe and sound, and hadn’t heard that there was a war outside. He inquired about the situation and felt a little better.

Then Liu Zhenqing said: “Master, Huo Fenglie must serve you tea.”

“Ah?”

“We’re engaged.”

“Ah!”

“The wedding date will be set after a while, and I’ll invite you to the capital to act in place of my parents.”

“Good.”

His master should be aware that his disciple would never let go of someone he was interested in. He was a cunning fox, and it was only a matter of time before that person was captured.

“By the way, since Master is serving in place of my parents, he should prepare a dowry for me. There’s no need for anything else, just enough good medicine.” Liu Zhenqing said shamelessly: “Otherwise, your disciple will be laughed at when he marries into the Huo family, and sister-in-law, who is actually my sister-in-law now, will bully me.”

Master: I really want to expel this unfilial disciple at once. He hasn’t even learned skills yet, but he’s draining his master dry. My poor pharmacy, ah!

In short, the master drank Huo Fenglie’s tea first, and after Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing finished kowtowing respectfully together, they talked for a short while. The master didn’t entertain them, but told them to make their own arrangements while he planned to go and study new medical techniques.

Liu Zhenqing said quickly: “Master, please check Fenglie’s pulse.”

“What’s wrong? Do you feel uncomfortable?” the master asked.

Huo Fenglie gave Liu Zhenqing a strange look. After all, there was nothing wrong with him. But he still stretched out his hand obediently.

The master began to feel his pulse and said after a moment: “He is recovering well. There are no problems.”

Liu Zhenqing said with a serious expression: “Really? But our intercourse isn’t going well. Master, please take a closer look…..”

Before Liu Zhenqing could finish speaking, a blushing Huo Fenglie stopped him: “Qing-ge!”

The master was already blue in the face. Should this be spoken of in front of the elderly? The master rolled his eyes and said: “Don’t worry, he’s very well. If there’s a problem, it must be that you’re not charming enough!”

“Really? Er-gou, am I not charming enough?” Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie an anxious look.

Huo Fenglie couldn’t take it anymore. He hugged Liu Zhenqing and covered his mouth, then apologized to the master — whose mouth was twitching — and took him out.

But how could Liu Zhenqing let him off? They were only scratching the surface these days, and it was torture. It had taken two lifetimes for him to be enlightened, ah. Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to waste time. They had come here for a short rest anyway, and Medical Valley happened to be a good place to do it.

Therefore, Liu Zhenqing took Huo Fenglie to soak in Medical Valley’s medicinal hot springs that night. His purpose was obvious and unconcealed.

But half an hour later, Liu Zhenqing slumped by the pool with lifeless eyes, slowly sliding downward. The medicinal spring made the red marks on his body even more beautiful.

His line of sight focused on the person in front of him.

Under the strong moonlight, his strong body seemed to be enveloped in a sheen of silver light. Every inch of his contour lines exhibited a balance of strength and beauty. It was just that his hair was a little disordered, as if someone had grabbed it and messed it up.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie and saw the jut of his throat roll slowly. The other pursed his lips and collected the traces around the corners of his mouth.

Even an old lecher like Liu Zhenqing blushed and said in embarrassment: “It’s dirty.”

Huo Fenglie’s face went red. He stepped forward and hugged Liu Zhenqing. The tattoo on his body had appeared in its entirety, and it seemed to turn into willow vines and wrap around Liu Zhenqing.

It was this body that had pinned him down beside the pool and struck first…..

“It’s Qing-ge…..I like it all. It’s not dirty,” Huo Fenglie whispered.

Liu Zhenqing returned to his senses and kicked his legs in the pool with some dissatisfaction. Huo Fenglie had drained him of all strength. How could he do anything else? He had obviously been afraid of what Liu Zhenqing would do and did this on purpose. Bad dog.

But Liu Zhenqing refused to admit defeat: “Er-gou, come up here. Let me try too.”

The body holding Liu Zhenqing quaked. Then Huo Fenglie said clearly for the first time: “No. Qing-ge can’t.”

“What a double standard. Why can’t I do it?”

Huo Fenglie gazed down at Liu Zhenqing, his eyes full of affection: “You just can’t.”

After saying so, without waiting for Liu Zhenqing to retort, Huo Fenglie began to touch Liu Zhenqing again.

It wasn’t until Liu Zhenqing was completely exhausted that he took him back.

Liu Zhenqing’s attack had failed, and he was depressed again. If his master hadn’t said there were no problems, he would have had some doubts.

Three days later, everyone set off again.

The master and Han Ye also had a rough understanding of what they would face.

When bidding them farewell, Han Ye couldn’t help but say: “The emperor’s safety is being looked after by so many people. There should be no reason for you to go, right? You’re going to get married. Wouldn’t it be good to wait until General Huo takes care of those troublesome matters and comes back?”

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “I’m not protecting the emperor, I’m accompanying Er-gou. Now that we’re engaged, I’ll naturally go where he goes. Do you want me, your master, to stay alone in an empty boudoir just after getting engaged?”

Han Ye couldn’t stand it, and rolled his eyes.

The master gave him a serious look.

After Han Ye left, the master said: “It’s not just for Fenglie.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression remained unchanged. “What is Master saying?”

The master scoffed coldly and said: “Before, you were trapped for life due to your loyalty to Crown Prince Jing Yang, but now…..”

“Now it’s your disciple who is trying to trap Huo Fenglie, and won’t let him go even a step away.” Liu Zhenqing said: “I am willing, and I’ll endure hardship gladly.”

The master stared at Liu Zhenqing vacantly for a moment, then said with a sneer: “You said before that you only liked him a little bit.”

Liu Zhenqing said shamelessly: “All little bit according to time, not degree.”

The master and Liu Zhenqing joked back and forth.

“That’s good. The boy’s obsession with you won’t be in vain. After many years’ wait, he finally got what he wanted.”

When Liu Zhenqing spoke about Er-gou, his heart felt warm. He turned to give a solemn salute, then said: “Don’t worry, Master. I don’t miss my previous life, and in this life, I’m reluctant to part with him. So no matter what situation we may encounter, I will put myself and Er-gou first and everything else second. This time, your disciple is living for himself.”

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T/N: We’re heading into the endgame! Some of my favorite chapters are coming up.

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Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five

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T/N: You guys are going to really like this one…..

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Huo Fenglie didn’t see Liu Zhenqing for several days. Because Liu Zhenqing was angry with him, even when he tried to seek him out through proper business, he was blocked on the other side of the tent by Liu Qiao and never even caught a glimpse of him.

He was clearly just next door, but Huo Fenglie’s thoughts were overflowing and his heart felt as if it was being roasted on an open flame. He didn’t understand Liu Zhenqing’s heart, so he was walking on thin ice to maintain the delicate relationship between them. He instinctively evaded the fearful thought that everything was a dream after all. A dream that would eventually end.

Unexpectedly, a subordinate reported that Liu Zhenqing had taken Liu Qiao and departed the military camp.

Huo Fenglie, who was handling military affairs, froze on the spot for a moment before disappearing into the camp.

He rushed out at an extremely fast speed, his black and white eyes gradually going bloodshot as the emotions in his heart went out of control.

If Liu Zhenqing really wanted to leave, to leave him, how could he keep this person?

Huo Fenglie could even feel the demons surging out of his heart, as well as the dark side of his mind pouring out uncontrollably.

Perhaps he should have tied that person up and locked him away so he couldn’t go anywhere. It didn’t matter even if he hated him, as long as he could keep him.

Never again did he want to think of those eight years in a cold abyss, unwilling to live and unable to die.

But as soon as he left the military camp, he could only tell the general direction Liu Zhenqing and Liu Qiao had gone. After running for a while with no one in sight, Huo Fenglie felt his heart plummet, and even the hidden tattoo seemed to be burning.

It would be easy to find Liu Zhenqing alone. But with Liu Qiao included, if they wanted to leave…..

Suddenly, a dark shadow flew across his field of vision. It was Liu Qiao.

Huo Fenglie quickly followed him. After running for who knew how long, he came upon a dense forest. The shadows of the trees in front of him continued to recede from his field of vision, and a bright light suddenly appeared in the dark night. When he passed through the last circle of trees, it was like a fantasy world.

There was a small lake surrounded by trees. Clear as a mirror, it reflected the beautiful starry sky, as if the stars had fallen into the lake. River lanterns of different shapes floated upon it, exuding a soft light that lent a glow to the stony, grassy shore.

Flowers that didn’t grow here were all over the place, and hundreds of red ribbons hung on the nearby trees, fluttering in the breeze. Lanterns were also dotted around, illuminating this magical world. It was as if he had strayed into some fairy’s cultivation spot.

Huo Fenglie was a little confused when he first laid eyes on this scene. Liu Qiao didn’t appear in his sight, and he quickly focused on the boat in the lake. There was someone on it.

Huo Fenglie rushed to the shore and saw the person he longed for emerge from the boat’s tent.

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie was stunned, and his eyes that had sunken into deep water finally lit up.

Although they hadn’t seen each other for only a few days, Huo Fenglie felt as if a lifetime had passed.

On the boat, aqua robes seemed to blend his slender form into the world where heaven and earth met. Liu Xiaozhu’s original appearance wasn’t superb, but with the addition of Liu Zhenqing’s personality, it became charming and elegant.

Perhaps beauty was in the eye of the beholder, because those originally round and harmless eyes presently turned into long, narrow peach blossoms, intelligent and refined. The slight hook to the edges of cherry-hued lips was wanton and romantic.

His features were picturesque, his temperament like jade, shining brightly like the moon and the stars.

Huo Fenglie could only stare blankly.

The night breeze ruffled Liu Zhenqing’s inky hair and lifted his robes slightly, tugging at Huo Fenglie’s heartstrings.

To Huo Fenglie, Liu Zhenqing was the most beautiful sight in the entire world. He saw him in his youth and could no longer part from him. He just wanted to guard him carefully and keep him exclusively, but almost lost him. 

Fortunately, he was right before his eyes.

Seeing Huo Fenglie stand there blankly, Liu Zhenqing curled a finger toward him.

Obedient as always, Huo Fenglie leaped over and landed before Liu Zhenqing, like a dog obeying his master’s command.

Liu Zhenqing gazed up at Huo Fenglie. The good-looking boy of the past had grown up to be handsome, tall, and dashing. He had to raise his head to get a good look at the reserved and restrained eyes under dark black lashes. The strands of love emanating from those eyes seemed about to become corporeal and wrap around him in circles.

Since who knew when, those eyes were filled with Liu Zhenqing and decorated with deep affection, always expressing love in places Liu Zhenqing wasn’t paying attention to.

After missing out on a lifetime and so many years, Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to waste any more time.

Huo Fenglie was somewhat at a loss with Liu Zhenqing looking at him like this. Just as he was about to open his mouth and apologize, Liu Zhenqing suddenly went down on one knee in front of him. 

Huo Fenglie was stunned.

Liu Zhenqing seldom knelt, whether in his past or present life, and even more so had never taken such a posture in front of Huo Fenglie. After all, Huo Fenglie had always been like a younger brother.

It was naturally impossible for Huo Fenglie to let Liu Zhenqing kneel for him. An uncomfortable feeling constricted his heart.

Huo Fenglie hurriedly tried to help him up, but Liu Zhenqing grabbed his outstretched hand first. Raising his head, he spoke gently with a soft smile on his face.

“Huo Fenglie, I, Liu Zhenqing, wish to get engaged to you and achieve a happy marriage. From then on, we will be together in life and in death, and grow old together hand-in-hand. Are you willing?”

As Liu Zhenqing spoke, he spread his other palm upward. Two silver-white rings lay in an exquisite box. The shape of the rings was unfamiliar, and they looked extremely delicate.

But Huo Fenglie didn’t react for a long time, just staring blankly at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing tilted his head with a chuckle: “Huo Fenglie, what is your answer?”

Liu Zhenqing could feel a slight tremor in the hand he was holding.

When Huo Fenglie spoke, his voice was completely hoarse.

“Qing-ge…..don’t play such a joke on me, I’ll take it seriously. If I take it seriously…..Qing-ge, you can’t afford it. Do you want to do something? Do you have any odd plans? You told me to answer you, but…..don’t make such a joke.”

Huo Fenglie’s voice seemed to be magnified by the night wind, with a deep vibrato.

But this time Liu Zhenqing didn’t retreat, nor did he become angry.

He firmly believed that Huo Fenglie loved him. Even if Huo Fenglie didn’t love him, he had decided to have Huo Fenglie, and he would never let go of the person he had fallen in love with. What’s more, he believed that Huo Fenglie had him and only him in his heart.

So when he witnessed Huo Fenglie’s reaction, he only felt distressed for him.

He couldn’t understand why Huo Fenglie was so lacking in confidence.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Zhenqing maintained his smile and said: “I do have something I want to do, and I do have a plan.”

Huo Fenglie was taken aback. The nervousness on his face turned to blankness, then to an ugly smile. He was about to withdraw his hand, but found that Liu Zhenqing was still holding onto it tightly.

“Qing-ge…..”

“I plan to propose marriage first, then when you agree, I’ll write the marriage contract. When we return to the capital, I’ll ask Li Xingruo to go to Liu Manor and propose the match. I really do want to marry you. After all, your brother promised you to me back then. I didn’t refuse. If the manor is still there, I will definitely take you into my home. But now that I think about it, we might as well forget about you marrying into the Liu family. I’ll suffer a small loss and join your general’s residence as a wife. I want to do something big for this special event and let the whole world know that you, General Huo, are marrying me.”

“If you stay in the capital in the future, I’ll stay in your General’s Manor. If you go to the battlefield, I’ll accompany you as your military advisor. No matter what, we cannot be separated. As for children, it’s fine not to have them, or we can adopt one. In any case, the Huo family already has the twins. If Li Xingruo isn’t able to take care of the children, we can do it.”

As Liu Zhenqing babbled on about their bright future, he saw Huo Fenglie’s expression change. His pupils gradually quivered, and even his body became extremely tense.

Liu Zhenqing chuckled and said: “Huo Fenglie, do you understand? I want to marry you for no purpose or plan or any other reason. Only because my heart has been moved by you. I like you, I love you, I adore you, and I want to be with you forever.”

Huo Fenglie was trembling all over. When he heard these words, his blood surged and he almost lost his mind.

Liu Zhenqing released Huo Fenglie’s hand and took out the larger ring.

“I made the rings myself these past few days. I’m not very good at it, and I didn’t make them well. I’ve had many jade willow leaf pendants and given them to many people, so they’re not worthy of my precious Er-gou. But there is only one pair of these rings in the world. There is a different name for them – wedding rings. You know I’m not from this world. This is a custom in my family. Giving them to each other confirms the engagement, pairing us for life. This is my exclusive gift to you.”

Liu Zhenqing took Huo Fenglie’s hand again and touched his ring finger, caressing it gently: “Put it on, and you’ll be mine. If you want to refuse, just take your hand back.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t look at Huo Fenglie, and just stared intently at his hand. Slowly, slowly, he piously placed the ring on his finger.

When the ring was securely on his tense hand, Liu Zhenqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up. Huo Fenglie’s face was stiff, but tears were sliding uncontrollably down that resolute face. Liu Zhenqing could even hear his choked breathing.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes stung. He actually had the urge to cry. He handed the other ring to Huo Fenglie and stood up, placing his hand in front of him. “You’ve agreed, so now it’s your turn to put it on me.”

Huo Fenglie spoke at last, his voice calm but tearful as he regarded Liu Zhenqing with dark eyes.

“You’re serious?”

“Of course!” Liu Zhenqing nodded. “And you?”

“I…..I like you, Qing-ge, I like you. That hasn’t changed since long ago. You’re obviously aware.” Huo Fenglie’s tone seemed a little aggrieved.

“Yes.” Liu Zhenqing smiled. “Then you refused to confess and made me think you didn’t like me.”

“I was afraid…..afraid that if you knew I still coveted you, you wouldn’t want me anymore.”

“How could you think that? I’m glad you covet me, ah.” Liu Zhenqing was amused. Sure enough, this kid had an inexplicable inferiority complex. Perhaps it was because he had always regarded him as a little brother, and there were so many rumors of his romance with girls, that Huo Fenglie was so unsure of himself.

Huo Fenglie finally opened his mouth to say: “I’m still scared now. But if you have second thoughts, it’s no use. It was you who first…..you who first…..”

Huo Fenglie seemed angry. His eyelashes trembled and he practically gritted his teeth. Grabbing Liu Zhenqing’s hand with irresistible strength, he put the ring on his finger.

The moment his fingers were restrained, Liu Zhenqing felt his heart tremble. It was as if he had finally landed on solid ground, as if their lives together hadn’t been stable until this exact moment. It felt so amazing.

This proved that he had a real connection and really belonged in this world.

Huo Fenglie, on the other hand, stared at the matching rings on his and Liu Zhenqing’s hands in a daze.

He and Qing-ge really…..

When he was young, he was passionate and daring, and only wanted to grow up soon. Standing next to his loved one, he knew Liu Zhenqing already had somebody in his heart, so he could only silently withdraw, hoping to call him ‘Qing-ge’ once in a while.

But then Qing-ge died. 

He went crazy, grasping at illusionary hope and using his own way to protect everything Qing-ge cared about, waiting for him almost hopelessly. 

Later, Qing-ge came back. Nobody else knew, and Qing-ge didn’t want anyone to know either. He just wanted to escape without even telling the people he cared about before. Huo Fenglie ranked behind many people in Qing-ge’s heart, and could only do his utmost to keep him. 

Until now, he never expected Qing-ge to respond to his feelings, because he felt that Qing-ge wouldn’t change his mind.

He thought that all the intimate times they’d shared before were just casual fun after Qing-ge expanded his horizons.

But he had never imagined that his dream would one day come true. 

Qing-ge actually wanted him.

“Fenglie…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s voice instantly snapped Huo Fenglie out of his daze. When he looked up, Qing-ge was right in front of him with a smile on his face.

And a second later, Liu Zhenqing placed his arms around Huo Fenglie’s neck.

This time, Huo Fenglie finally stopped holding himself back and took the first step into the other’s arms. Their passionate kiss allowed him to vent his explosive emotions. 

It seemed like it wasn’t just their bodies that were close, but their souls as well.

Huo Fenglie’s tears still slipped down to the junction of their lips, but neither of them stopped.

It was all so sweet and addictive.

When they returned to their senses, the two of them had been lying entangled on the boat for a while. Their clothes were a mess, and they almost couldn’t control themselves. 

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing infatuatedly. Light flowed in his eyes, astonishingly bright, his newfound emotions impossible to conceal. There was a blush on his cheeks, giving him the appearance of a shy youth. 

And Liu Zhenqing’s eyes were a little out of focus, as soft as a sheen of mist. His rosy, swollen lips were as delicate as flowers ripe for the picking. The beauty and passion his features conveyed made a person’s heart bound.

Huo Fenglie’s body stiffened, and his voice came out a little thick: “Qing-ge…..”

Liu Zhenqing relaxed a bit, his cheeks turning red. Under the trees and sky…..was also pretty good. In any case, Liu Qiao was standing guard outside.

Just as he was thinking, he saw Huo Fenglie raise his hands to reach for his clothes.

Liu Zhenqing planned to feign shyness, but as a result, Huo Fenglie helped him gather together his slightly messed up robes. “Qing-ge, should we go back?”

Liu Zhenqing: Er-gou is good everywhere, but he’s a bit conservative.

It seemed he would have to take the initiative himself. Sneaking into Huo Fenglie’s arms, he instantly took action. Huo Fenglie trembled all over: “Qing…..qing-ge…..”

“Are you sure you can go back like this?” Liu Zhenqing’s eyes were charming and silky. He leaned toward Huo Fenglie’s ear with a smile and said, “Aren’t you a master? You should know that no one is nearby, and Liu Qiao won’t peek or eavesdrop. It wasn’t easy to find our happiness together. Won’t you exercise your rights?”

Huo Fenglie naturally understood what Liu Zhenqing was implying. He gulped: “This place is crude. I would wrong Qing-ge.”

“Then it’s good I don’t dislike it.” Liu Zhenqing chuckled, his voice like the wind, trying to blow a certain person’s heart into a mess.

But not to mention his other advantages, his self-control was outstanding: “No, the night breeze is cold, and it’s even colder on the lake. Qing-ge’s body is weak.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to move. The scenery was beautiful, and it was the place he had proposed. Why not create another good memory here? He’d spent so much time setting up the scene, after all.

He even brought medicine…..yes, medicine.

Liu Zhenqing reached out to grab the package in the corner of the boat. Then he took out a pill, held it in his mouth, and fed it to Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie swallowed without resisting. After a moment of surprise, he asked: “What was it?”

Liu Zhenqing sat up with Huo Fenglie in hand and looked at him with a smile.

Huo Fenglie was a little confused at first, but then his body began to heat up and his originally excited body went full meltdown. He looked at Liu Zhenqing in disbelief.

“Qing-ge, you…..”

“Don’t worry, that pill just has a minor boosting effect. It can make someone honest and unrestrained, but the main effect is to heat the body. Fenglie, I want to see your tattoo.”

Huo Fenglie was startled. “You…..”

“I’ve heard all about it. It was tattooed using my ashes. Let me see it.”

Uneasiness flashed across Huo Fenglie’s face. It was as if he’d done something bad and gotten caught, or as if a hidden secret had been discovered.

It was true that his body was extremely hot, and at this temperature, the tattoo would soon appear. Seeing Liu Zhenqing’s serious expression, Huo Fenglie finally nodded.

Without a pause, Huo Fenglie took off his clothes.

Liu Zhenqing had already raised his hand. It was just like unwrapping a package, peeling off layer after layer until a strong, upright body appeared in front of him. With his unusual temperature, the scars on his body seemed to turn red.

Suddenly, a layer of green began to emerge, the pattern gradually becoming clearer.

Liu Zhenqing’s pupils began to quiver.

He saw willow leaves and branches start to grow from the near-fatal wound over Huo Fenglie’s heart. Like a huge dragon wrapping around his body, it coiled up over and over, gradually covering his scars, large and small. Some of the old injuries were almost concealed by dark green willow leaves, protecting Huo Fenglie’s injured body like armor.

Liu Zhenqing was even more shocked by the tattoo that he’d thought he would be.

Huo Fenglie had used a tattoo made of his ashes to cover all the old wounds on his body, as if he was protecting his Er-gou.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but reach out to touch the willow leaves, to rest his forehead against them. Feeling the scorching heat below, his heart felt warm and tingly, as if magma was flowing through it.

“Fenglie…..it seems I didn’t protect you well. You still suffered a lot of injuries afterward.”

The tattoo offered no protection. New scars wreaked havoc outside the range of the tattoo.

Liu Zhenqing could only embrace Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie hugged him back, saying softly: “No, Qing-ge must have protected me so that I could wait for you to come to life.”

No matter how many times he was injured on the battlefield, he actually had no will to survive, but still survived to the end. Others said his fate let him survive in adversity, but now that he thought about it, perhaps the gods prevented him from leaving because Qing-ge was coming back.

Liu Zhenqing was so moved that he couldn’t help but place a kiss on the beginning of the tattoo over his heart.

The other’s body shivered slightly under his kiss. A muffled moan brought the two of them back to the present.

Liu Zhenqing stared for a moment, and then his lips curved into a wicked grin.

He took some medicine and removed his clothes.

If he didn’t eat Er-gou tonight, he would feel sorry for himself.

“Fenglie, let’s not go back, okay? I want you,” Liu Zhenqing said softly, raising his head to look at him with watery eyes. Huo Fenglie couldn’t bear it.

His eyes darkened and he embraced Liu Zhenqing tightly, pressing him down.

The boat began to rock gently on the lake. After some period of time, a hand reached into the lake to wash away the heat.

Liu Zhenqing was dazed for a while, then looked over with dissatisfaction at the person who was neatly dressed while holding him in his arms.

After two rounds, his body was already limp and powerless, but Liu Zhenqing was very dissatisfied, very dissatisfied.

He hadn’t even taken off his pants! No fun at all, ah! At most, compared to before, this time Huo Fenglie was the one in control…..he’d thought this was the prelude, but the prelude was played twice and the song immediately finished.

“Er-gou, are you incapable of doing this?! I even gave you medicine,” Liu Zhenqing asked directly, his expression cold. “If you can’t do it, I will!”

He Chuzhou immediately froze. His neck reddened with embarrassment and he said awkwardly: “Qing-ge, I can force out that type of medicine with my internal strength. You’ve forgotten.”

Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes at him.

Huo Fenglie lowered his head and admitted his wrongdoing: “It’s not that I didn’t want to.”

“What is this? Don’t tell me that you need time to accept a man now, Laozi took time.” Liu Zhenqing said a bit irritably.

“We…..we’re still not married yet, so it’s not appropriate…..”

Liu Zhenqing: …..

Damnit! Who taught you to be so conservative? It must have been Huo Feihan!

Laozi’s happiness!

Huo Fenglie had come up with such an excuse. Liu Zhenqing didn’t know what to say, but he really couldn’t do it tonight. Next time. Next time, he would persist.

Huo Fenglie hugged him and kissed him from his forehead to his lips, sticky and sweet, like a treasure he had just obtained and couldn’t put down.

Liu Zhenqing was also satisfied with such tenderness. He stopped being unhappy and responded gently and softly.

After a while, Liu Zhenqing began to settle accounts: “I asked you to marry me before. Why did you reject me? Did you think I wasn’t serious and was just playing a prank on you?”

Huo Fenglie stiffened. With a helpless chuckle, he said: “I was stupid. I thought you wanted me to get engaged to someone else.”

“Ah?” Liu Zhenqing was baffled. “That’s impossible no matter how you think about it. How could I give you to someone else, ah? I’ve been in your arms, what’s wrong with your head?”

Huo Fenglie kissed Liu Zhenqing again in a soft apology until Liu Zhenqing’s legs went weak.

“En, I was stupid. Qing-ge should punish me.”

“You stinky brat, you refuse to get down to business, then deliberately invite me…..”

“Then I’ll be with Qing-ge one more time.”

“Who cares about this kind of being together…..ah…..you…..stupid dog!”

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T/N: Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone! Now that the festivities are over, I should have a lot more time to translate!

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Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four

“Li Xiu, are you trying to anger me to death—”

The vehicle slowly began to move as Teacher Xu drove.

The first thing to sound in the slightly shaking vehicle was the roar of the former school bully: “That was a ghost, okay? You still recklessly let that thing brainwash you? Have you used up all your IQ solving math problems?!”

Fang Qian’an stared, eyes wide, at the youth on the seat corner who was silently biting his lip. One of Fang Qian’an’s hands was still holding the other boy’s wrist, which was so thin that it seemed as if it would break.

Li Xiu felt a stabbing pain spreading from his sternum, as if there was an invisible person on his chest. The 1.9 meter tall boy himself was still unknowingly shaking due to excessive tension. 

Only Fang Qian’an himself knew how terrified he was.

They had obviously been so close…..

He had obviously sworn that he would protect Li Xiu through the thick fog no matter what.

But when they arrived at Teacher Xu’s car and were about to get in, he felt Li Xiu’s hand slip out of his palm like a fish.

No matter how he called Li Xiu’s name, the youth continued to turn a deaf ear and walk quickly into the depths of the fog.

Even now, Fang Qian’an could feel his heart beating wildly. Half of his soul still hadn’t been recovered.

“…..We’ve been through this before, but you didn’t even raise your guard! That thing used your grandmother’s appearance to confuse you, and you stupidly followed it! I always wondered who could be so stupid in those horror movies, but that person is right next to me!”

Li Xiu lowered his head and said in a choked voice: “But it was Grandmother…..”

“That thing turned your grandmother into a zombie! You saw it yourself!”

Fang Qian’an’s voice suddenly rose, and he shouted fiercely at Li Xiu: “How about you wake up a little!”

“I’m awake!” Li Xiu shouted at Fang Qian’an. He raised his head, tears streaming down his face. “I know it was Lord Hong in disguise and I shouldn’t have been deceived, but…..I’ll never see my grandmother again! My grandmother is dead!”

When Li Xiu heard news of his grandmother’s death in his hospital bed, he could barely maintain his outward composure, and didn’t start crying until the others left.

Now, Li Xiu could no longer control himself, and wailed loudly in front of Fang Qian’an.

“My grandmother is head. Don’t you understand that I don’t have a grandmother anymore…..wuwuwu…..why did you scold me so loudly? I know I was stupid, but…..that was my last chance to see Grandmother…..”

Fang Qian’an, who was yelling at Li Xiu one second, was utterly panicked the next.

“You…..you went too far and made me cry…..”

In a fluster, he looked into Li Xiu’s reddened eyes, wet with tears, and froze.

“S-Sorry!” 

A moment later, the former school bully began to stammer out an apology: “Hey, d-don’t cry…..just now, I…..that is, I was just so worried. That’s why I spoke loudly, I didn’t mean to scold you…..pei, actually, I’m angry with myself…..”

Fang Qian’an was alarmed by Li Xiu’s sobbing.

He wanted to wipe away Li Xiu’s tears, but couldn’t find a tissue for a long time.

He subconsciously started to pull up the hem of his T-shirt, but as soon as he raised his hand, he put the shirt back down again — his clothes were stained with ash and blood from their escape, and looked so bad that he was reluctant to wipe Li Xiu’s face with it.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. Please don’t cry.”

In the end, Fang Qian’an had to gently wipe Li Xiu’s tears away with his fingertips. His palms were wet with the youth’s tears, and the heat of them made his chest ache. 

It was Teacher Xu who smoothed things over.

He gestured for Qiao Yang to find a few packages of napkins in the storage compartment and hand them to the two high school boys behind them. Once Li Xiu had calmed down somewhat, Teacher Xu coughed a few times and said: “Cough, Classmate Fang, who are you to say anything about Classmate Li Xiu? Do you think you’re so great? Rushing out like you did, we were scared to death.”

“Indeed.” Qiao Yang couldn’t help but say, “You didn’t even listen when I called out to you. Li Xiu didn’t see it, but you also rushed out. If not for good luck, we might have all gone out and fallen one by one—”

Li Xiu’s eyes were still red as he blew his nose. When he heard what Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang said, he glanced at Fang Qian’an.

Fang Qian’an scratched the back of his head in discomfort, and his voice was pitifully weak as he defended himself: “I…..I was in a hurry, so I didn’t think.”

Teacher Xu and Qiao Yang said nothing to this. The car grew silent.

Li Xiu lowered his head and held back his tears.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s alright.” This time, it was Teacher Xu who responded. “Ghosts can confuse the eyes and captivate the mind. These things always target the weaknesses in people’s hearts. Classmate Li Xiu, you’ve done well. If it were an ordinary student, they would have been too frightened to move if something like tonight happened.”

Qiao Yang concurred: “Yes, ah. I’ve never seen anything like what happened tonight. Even in foreign zombie movies—”

It was better not to mention it. When he brought up what had happened that night, everyone’s moods became heavy again. The night fog was still thick outside the windows. The four of them were not completely out of danger.

Li Xiu calmed down and asked in a hoarse voice: “Teacher Xu, what should we do next?”

Teacher Xu clicked on his phone to set the navigation.

The voice navigation overlapped with his reply: “…..The City A Martyrs Cemetery is near here. We’ll go there first.”

[“Ready to start. The route is 2.5 kilometers and will take around seven minutes. After thirty meters, turn right—”]

“Ah?”

“Martyrs Cemetery?”

“Teacher, wait, a cemetery?”

The other three people in the vehicle were a little dumbfounded.

Only Teacher Xu still appeared calm: “En, a cemetery…..the Martyrs Cemetery is full of revolutionary martyrs. These martyrs are extremely heroic, and are the best at restraining evil spirits. They should be able to protect us for one night.”

After hearing Teacher Xu’s explanation, the three others finally breathed sighs of relief.

The Martyrs Cemetery in City A was actually an upscale public park, so it really wasn’t that far from the building where Fang Qian’an lived. If not for special circumstances, with Fang Qian’an’s strength, he could get there in less than ten minutes even while carrying Li Xiu on his back. But they were driving—-

However, as time passed little by little, they still failed to reach their destination that was right around the corner.

“Teacher…..is the car starting to drive slower?”

Qiao Yang, sitting in the passenger seat, had a bit of cold sweat on his forehead.

He glanced at the dashboard and found that the car was going 60.

However, he didn’t know whether it was only the fog outside the window that gave no reference for their forward movement. Seated in the car, he only felt that the vehicle had slowed to a stop.

“Teacher?”

“It’s alright. This is just a method to disturb people’s hearts. Don’t be afraid,” Teacher Xu said word by word.

But before he could finish speaking, the car’s radio, which had been collecting dust for who knew how long, suddenly buzzed.

“Zizizi…..for you tonight…..zizizizizi…..we have City A’s overnight weather forecast…..zizi…..Sleepless Night Talk Radio…..will you come tonight…..”

A noisy radio station and snippets of songs that were no longer popular mixed with the harsh electric sounds. The bizarre noise lingered in the vehicle, startling everyone but Teacher Xu into looks of fear.

Because they all heard the hoarse whisper within that electric noise that was impossible to ignore.

[“A-Xiu…..”]

[“Come, follow me…..”]

[“My A-Xiu, ah, why are you crying so sadly?”]

[“I will kill them all, okay?”]

There was a click.

The expressionless Teacher Xu had reached out to turn off the radio.

It was unknown what method he used, but there was a small spot of blood on the dial.

And the disobedient radio finally stopped blaring.

But this short term peace didn’t last long at all.

Because in the next seconds, cell phone ring tones sounded one after another inside the car.

The phones automatically connected.

An elderly voice came from the receiver.

[“A-Xiu, ah, it’s so late. Why haven’t you come back home, ah…..”]

It was his grandmother.

“A-Xiu, be good. Come home.”

As if there was interference, the elderly whisper was eerily drawn out.

“Your gege is hungry…..”

“Hee…..A-Xiu…..it’s time to come home…..time to give your gege something to eat…..”

The voice gradually changed in pitch.

Sometimes it sounded like the voice of an old woman, and sometimes it sounded like the hushed whisper of a young man.

Little by little, an unspeakable chill spread inside the car along with the sound.

Li Xiu felt his body tremble involuntarily, and everything before his eyes was out of focus.

In his daze, he could even feel that there seemed to be a pair of cold hands stroking his neck.

His hair immediately stood on end. He felt nauseous. 

Grasping the steering wheel with both hands, Teacher Xu stared ahead of the car and said word by word: “Everyone smash their phones.”

Qiao Yang was holding a cell phone he had just bought, and was stunned upon hearing his teacher’s words. But without waiting for him to finish comprehending, a hand reached out from teh back seat and snatched his phone.

“Huh? Ah, ah—”

Fang Qian’an was expressionless as he held everyone’s cell phones in his hands. As easily as breaking a chocolate bar, he snapped each phone.

“I’m still making installments on that phone, ah!”

Qiao Yang held the remnants of his phone after Fang Qian’an tossed it back to him, his expression even uglier than when he had been frightened by ghosts previously.

“The new model is being released next month,” Fang Qian’an informed him with zero sympathy, then turned to look at the silent Li Xiu: “Do you like the style of the Xueli ProMax?”

Li Xiu was still staring at his disabled phone in a daze and didn’t react right away.

“Ah?”

Fang Qian’an took a deep breath and smiled at the boy next to him: “When this is all over, I’ll give you a new cellphone. Your crappy one should have been replaced a long time ago.”

After speaking, he reached out and rubbed Li Xiu’s hair vigorously.

“Don’t refuse. I’m older than you, you should call me ‘ge’. As your ge, I should buy a phone for my didi.”

Before he could finish his sentence, the car shook violently. Everyone jerked forward simultaneously and were then slammed back into their seats by the seatbelts. Their chests hurt.

“Damn—” Teacher Xu cursed.

The car had stalled.

A thick fog tightly enveloped the stationary vehicle.

Without the roar of the engine, their surroundings became eerily silent.

Ding-ling—

The copper bell hanging in the upper left corner suddenly gave a soft jingle.

Li Xiu subconsciously shrank toward Fang Qian’an. He still remembered Qiao Yang’s explanation that the copper bell hanging in the car cabin would only ring when it sensed yin energy.

He couldn’t help but look out the window again. There was still only the thick fog, seemingly no different from before.

Ding-ling—

But in the next second, the bell rang again, this time a bit more urgently than before.

Ding-ling—

Ding-ling—

Ding-ling—

Just as Li Xiu was thinking about this, the copper bells hanging at all four corners of the cabin jingled in unison. Teacher Xu in the driver’s seat frowned with increasing tension. His originally very pale face seemed to have lost all color, and his lips had even turned grey. 

Accompanied by the deafening jingle of the copper bells, within the fog that was so thick that a person couldn’t even see their fingers, many rigid shadows appeared.

Just like that, bit by bit, those vague shadows gathered toward the only bright light in the thick fog. And right next to Teacher Xu’s hand, the old Nokia phone that was bent into a ‘V’ suddenly gave a navigation announcement.

[“Ready to start…..zizi…..the route is 2.5 kilometers…..zizi…..will take around seven minutes. After thirty meters, turn right—”].

Everyone in the car stiffened at once.

After driving for so long, the navigation had never changed.

They had been in the same place all along.

---

The Author Has Something to Say: 

Xiao Fang: I can buy a new cellphone for A-Xiu. Heh, unlike some people (ghosts), who can’t offer anything except fear (yin and yang). (Smile).

---

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Chapter 53 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 55

City A got foggy at night occasionally, but never in his life had Li Xiu seen fog like this.

Looking outside through the building’s floor-to-ceiling windows, all that could be seen was endless drifting white.

Qiao Yang tugged the glass door tentatively. There was only a small gap, but a layer of white fog could be seen slowly flowing inside like a living thing, drifting endlessly on the marble floor.

When the fog touched one’s skin, it brought with it an indescribable chill.

Qiao Yang’s hand shook, and he immediately closed the door.

Everyone’s expressions became extremely ugly. After experiencing so much, they weren’t foolish enough to regard such nighttime fog as an ordinary phenomenon. Qiao Yang took out his cell phone and dialed 110, but it was a brick in his hand, without any cell service at all.

The young man put the phone back in his pocket and grabbed his hair, asking: “Teacher Xu, what should we do next?”

Teacher Xu was chanting something, but something in the dark seemed to have heard Li Xiu’s question. The moment he finished speaking, there was another dull crashing sound from the security door not far behind them.

They all turned their heads, only to find the thick door shaking precariously.

No one dared to think about what was behind the security door.

Teacher Xu took a deep breath.

The older man said in a deep voice: “We definitely can’t stay here. We need to get to the car. There are still some things inside it that can suppress evil.”

Fortunately, the car had been parked in front of the building when they arrived. Now, they only had to rush down a long staircase to get to it.

Teacher Xu said: “Even if a ghost is muddling our perception, we can still reach it from such a short distance with our eyes closed.” 

In the next second, a clearly audible electronic sound came through the white fog, and the car’s headlights could be faintly seen as they turned on.

The car was indeed not far. When they realized this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. When its location was confirmed, Teacher Xu instructed everyone to hold hands. Then he took the lead and pushed open the door, leading the others to the car through the fog.

Everything was fine for the first two steps.

But in the next second, the thick, cold fog, like a wet hand reaching out from the darkness, suddenly stuck to Li Xiu’s face.

Li Xiu never knew that fog could be so thick. Intense moisture struck him, catching him off guard. He felt as if he was drowning, his mouth and nose filling with cold liquid.

He coughed uncontrollably.

And as he endured the tightness in his chest and suppressed his coughing, he found that his hands were already empty.

Qiao Yang and Fang Qian’an, whose hands he was holding, had vanished.

There was only the lingering fog around him.

Endless fog.

It was as if a cold finger was slowly stirring up his stomach. When he found that he was alone, Li Xiu immediately stopped breathing and was so frightened that he almost retched.

Terrified, Li Xiu called in a whisper: “Teacher Xu? Fang Qian’an? Qiao Yang?”

Fortunately, as soon as he called out, a clear voice sounded from nearby: “Damn, this way, Li Xiu! Come over here!” 

As if to direct him, the car lights came on in front of him to the left.

Not daring to delay, Li Xiu hurried in that direction. 

“Teacher Xu, I—”

After only two steps, the yellow lights were already close at hand.

However, Li Xiu stopped abruptly.

Cold sweat soaked the youth’s back as he stared in the direction of the lights in disbelief.

That wasn’t Teacher Xu’s old Honda at all, but instead…..

There was an emaciated old woman holding a flashlight.

It was his grandmother.

His grandmother held up the flashlight and the yellow beam of light shone directly upon Li Xiu.

Li Xiu’s heart beat wildly. He didn’t even dare to blink, and could only stare blankly at that familiar face.

He could clearly feel the wetness on his face, but he could no longer tell if it was because of the fog or if he was crying again, weak and helpless. 

“Grandmother,” Li Xiu called in a choked voice. “Don’t scare me, okay?”

“…..I’m so scared.”

In such thick fog, his grandmother’s form was extremely distinct. Completely different from the ugly and deformed reanimated corpse he had seen before, his grandmother was currently closer to the old woman in his memory.

She was even slightly younger than the last time he had seen her alive.

Li Xiu clearly remembered that at that time, they had just moved into the shantytown in the city.

For a young child, the intricate alleys of the shantytown were incredibly long, with no street lights or signs. If one wasn’t careful, they could get lost.

And when he moved there, it happened to be winter. With a mere moment’s delay, it would be dark.

If Li Xiu took one wrong step, he would be greeted by terrifying darkness.

The most unfortunate thing was that he and his grandmother were new arrivals. Moreover, Li Xiu’s lame foot was very obvious. In the shantytown, children who lacked parental education would deliberately mock Li Xiu. Sometimes, they would even release their dogs to chase Li Xiu so that they could watch him cry and fall down as he ran.

When that happened once, Li Xiu went home with a high fever.

The first day he returned to school after recovering from a serious illness, he was fine during the day, but when he was about to head home after school, it felt like his feet were too heavy for him to move forward.

Just as he was terrified, thinking that he would have to walk down those long alleys alone again, he saw an elderly figure at the alley’s entrance. It was his grandmother.

In the early winter dusk, this old woman, who was hardly amiable on a typical day, carried a flashlight with shaky hands and stood guard at the mouth of the alley, waiting silently in the cold wind for Li Xiu to return from school.

Unlike other older people, she didn’t make a big show of affection, but just gave a slight nod and motioned for Li Xiu to follow her.

Li Xiu’s grandmother was always taciturn in front of him. Apart from urging Li Xiu to deliver food to his gege, she barely communicated with him.

However, at that moment, Li Xiu clearly felt his grandmother’s silent doting.

In such a way, after picking up and dropping off Li Xiu for a semester, the young child finally adapted to the alleyways in the shantytown.

Moreover, the dogs that once chased him died, and for some unknown reason, the wicked children in the shantytown also moved out of the area one by one.

Li Xiu was no longer afraid of going home alone, and his grandmother never picked him up again.

And now, Li Xiu once again saw the old woman holding an old-fashioned flashlight, silently standing guard in an alley to take him home.

He heard his grandmother murmur to him: “A-Xiu, ah…..”

The old woman’s face was still pallid, but her expression was one of sadness. 

“Don’t be afraid, Grandma doesn’t want this…..”

“How could Grandma hurt you?”

As she spoke, he lurched one step forward.

Li Xiu unconsciously stepped back, the tearful tone in his voice intensifying.

“Don’t come over here!” Li Xiu shouted, but his voice was extremely weak.

Unexpectedly, his grandmother actually stopped.

The old woman watched Li Xiu with all her attention, tears streaming from her cloudy eyes.

“Grandma never wanted to scare you. Grandma just doesn’t want to let you go…..” The old woman said mournfully, “You’re still so young, and have no mother or father. How could Grandma be willing to leave you alone in this world…..my A-Xiu, ah, you’re so pitiful, Grandma can’t bear it!”

Li Xiu violently gasped for breath.

Every whisper from his grandmother was like a knife piercing his heart.

Yes, ah, what should he do?

Could he really live a good life all alone?

After hearing the news of his grandmother’s death, this thought had been lingering in the depths of Li Xiu’s mind.

“Come, A-Xiu, come with Grandma. Grandma will protect you. With Grandma here, it’s better than you continuing to remain alone in this world…..”

Li Xiu’s grandmother raised her hand toward him again. For a moment, he seemed to have lost control of his body.

He couldn’t help but take a step in her direction. If he followed his grandmother, he wouldn’t have to be alone anymore, right?

In the next second, a strong force came from behind Li Xiu.

It was like being hit by a bull. Before Li Xiu could react, something slammed directly into his shoulder.

He only had time to let out a brief scream.

“A-Xiu, what are you doing now! Fucking look closer, that’s not your grandmother at all!”

A familiar voice exploded in his ears, and Li Xiu gasped. He looked intently and realized that where his grandmother was standing, there was clearly a tall, slender, thin-limbed monster with a bright red body.

The figure’s head was concealed by a familiar paper mask.

It still had its hand raised, its dark eye sockets looking at Li Xiu blankly. It was extremely bizarre.

“…..And why would you be alone? You still have me!” Fang Qian’an yelled while running away with Li Xiu on his back.

A few steps later, Li Xiu belatedly heard the roar of a car engine within the white fog.

With the faint, rapid chanting of a mantra, a breeze arose out of nowhere and blew away the fog around Li Xiu and Fang Qian’an.

The youth looked up again and realized that Teacher Xu’s car was right next to them. Teacher Xu was already sitting in the driver’s seat. The man rolled down the window and shouted at them: “Quickly, get in the car—”

Without delay, Fang Qian’an opened the door and threw Li Xiu inside, then rushed inside and slammed the door.

The dispersed fog gathered again as soon as the door closed, seeming to have a life of its own as it was stuck outside the vehicle.

Accompanied by a surge of wind, blurry faces appeared one after another in the fog, peering through the car window at the people inside.

---

The Author Has Something to Say: 

Who is knocking on your window~

Dog Qian’an is gradually walking into Li Xiu’s heart.

Gege: Everything is going as planned.

---

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Chapter 52 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 54

When the first glimmers of light appeared on the horizon, Liu Zhenqing had only taken a short nap before he was woken up.

As a result, he was still lying in Huo Fenglie’s arms when he opened his eyes.

Liu Zhenqing moved, and Huo Fenglie also opened his eyes. That pair of misty eyes stared at him blankly, then seemed to focus in a flash. He instinctively increased the force of his arms, wanting to hug this person tighter to make sure he existed.

Liu Zhenqing wrinkled his nose: “What are you doing hugging me?”

After talking business the day before, Liu Zhenqing still didn’t forget how angry he should be and slept alone on one side.

With innocent eyes, Huo Fenglie looked down at where Liu Zhenqing was laying.

Only then did Liu Zhenqing realize he was the one who’d rolled over, and according to his sleeping habits…..

Unreconciled, Liu Zhenqing pushed Huo Fenglie away and said unreasonably: “You hugged me when I rolled over here?”

Huo Fenglie looked a little childlike as he bore Liu Zhenqing’s temper.

Just as trouble was about to start, they heard a sound nearby. Beside the stream, Qiao Jin was pestering Liu Qiao and still trying to persuade him. Liu Qiao seemed annoyed to death by him.

The night before, Liu Zhenqing had proposed that Qiao Jin remain here as the King of Western Shu in order to cooperate with them, but Liu Qiao would definitely follow Liu Zhenqing, which would separate the two of them.

This went against Qiao Jin’s original intentions regarding the compromise, so he naturally refused to agree.

“Didn’t Master say I would be responsible for delivering messages?”

“Then if you’re delivering messages, can’t you just stay here and deliver them to him? Why should you follow him, ah? Aren’t he and Huo Fenglie a couple now? With Huo Fenglie’s army of millions, how is he unable to protect him? And when they return to the capital, you’ll follow them back. You…..You’re just looking for an excuse to abandon me,” Qiao Jin said, utterly discomfited.

“Why are you like a little milk baby? You’re the King of Western Shu now. Master says that when they find those people in the capital, you can always be the king, okay?”

Liu Qiao couldn’t understand Qiao Jin’s reaction. He felt that he was the same kid who feared being left behind, but he was already eighteen years old. He couldn’t bring Qiao Jin with him forever.

Qiao Jin flew into a foolish temper at Liu Qiao’s words: “Who wants to be the King of Western Shu, ah!”

“If you don’t care about it, then you don’t have to do it until this matter is over.”

Qiao Jin was anxious: “Do you really not understand or are you pretending not to understand? What did I surrender and listen to Liu Zhenqing for?”

“Weren’t you going to be killed by Master if you disobeyed?”

“That’s not it! Since Liu Zhenqing has given you freedom, why must you follow him?”

“I…..”

“Can’t you…..” Qiao Jin grabbed Liu Qiao’s hand and said, “Can’t you consider me yours?”

Liu Qiao was stunned. This was the second time Qiao Jin had said this. Looking at Qiao Jin, who was holding onto him with slightly trembling hands and reddened eyes, he was very similar to when Liu Qiao had gone back to find him eight years prior. This was how Qiao Jin had looked when he saw him.

But Liu Qiao wasn’t soft-hearted: “With those people from the capital around, Master is in danger. He needs me.”

Qiao Jin froze. Finally, he raised his head in compromise to direct a fierce glare at Liu Qiao: “Okay, when he needs you, stay by his side, and when he doesn’t need you, come back to me. You wanted to leave before to keep vigil for him, but this reason is no longer valid. Whatever you want to do in the future, I will do it with you. Anyway, we’ve stayed with each other for so many years. Getting used to this is better than you living alone again.”

Qiao Jin’s eyes gleamed brightly. It was as if they had turned into invisible claws and grabbed Liu Qiao. Before he could react, the stunned Liu Qiao had already nodded.

Qiao Jin was instantly happy. He raised his hands to hug Liu Qiao, but the other party impatiently pushed him away with the hilt of his sword.

Qiao Jin wasn’t angry, and just directly lowered his head and kissed the hilt of the sword, perhaps reduced to childish behavior due to his happiness. On the other hand, Liu Qiao froze.

When the two of them returned from their argument, Qiao Jin saw that they were ready to set off and said to Liu Zhenqing: “Hey, weren’t you going to poison me?”

Liu Zhenqing had said previously that he would use poison to control Qiao Jin.

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “I already have, ah.”

Qiao Jin stared at him in bafflement.

With a glance at Liu Qiao, Liu Zhenqing said: “There is no cure for this poison, but as long as you obey me, I guarantee you won’t die.”

Qiao Jin was so angry that his blood surged again.

He felt that in this short night, the suffocation he inhaled was equivalent to that of the past ten years.

In the next second, Qiao Jin confirmed once more that Liu Zhenqing was the most annoying man in the world, bar none. 

Because Liu Zhenqing raised his hand toward Liu Qiao and shouted: “Let’s go.”

Immediately, Liu Qiao grasped Liu Zhenqing and flew away, a startled Huo Fenglie one step behind.

Qiao Jin shouted furiously on the spot: “Liu Zhenqing, you’re hugging the wrong person!”

In the distance, Liu Zhenqing’s proud voice could be heard: “Be good and get to work.”

Liu Qiao didn’t think there was anything wrong with carrying Liu Zhenqing while using qinggong. After all, it had been like this before. But he felt an uncomfortable gaze from behind him for quite some while. As a martial arts master, he was very perceptive, and felt ill-at-ease while being stared at constantly by unfriendly eyes.

“Master, General Huo seems to be watching us,” said Liu Qiao. He lowered his head. “Does he have something to say?”

Liu Zhenqing chuckled: “Don’t mind him. The child must be disciplined, or he’ll act outrageously.”

“Did you have a fight? Weren’t you two good before?” Liu Qiao asked in confusion.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help feeling a bit lost. Yes, ah, they were fine before, but something went wrong.

Because they were in a hurry, the two of them didn’t speak much. They were already close to the dense forest, and now they had left the border and returned to the military camp.

When Huo Fenglie took Liu Zhenqing back, all of the military officials breathed sighs of relief. They saw that another newcomer had arrived, tall and handsome, and exuding the aura of a master. Moreover, he followed Liu Zhenqing step by step, seemingly closer to him than the general was. They couldn’t help being stunned.

Liu Zhenqing explained that this was the guard who had followed him before. He had been out working on something, but when he heard Liu Zhenqing had been kidnapped, he went to rescue him.

Everyone saw that Huo Fenglie had no objection, which meant this person was trustworthy, and came forward to express their care for Liu Zhenqing. After all, Huo Fenglie’s reaction before was too frightening.

Him going deep into the enemy base to rescue someone by himself really left everyone’s hearts suspended for two days. They used to feel that their general was untouched by worldly things, but now felt that he had gone to the other extreme. They didn’t dare say that the general had lost his wits to lust. After all, it was rare for their general to experience passion, and they were pleased to see it.

Someone came forward and said: “General, everything is stable here and there haven’t been any problems. It was hard work for you two all the way back, so go to the tent and rest early. Meals and hot water will be prepared for you right away.”

Those around had to give this man a thumbs up. Right, this was in consideration of their general’s morale problem, ah.

As a result, they heard Liu Zhenqing say: “Then please give me a separate tent. My guard and I wish to have a good rest.”

When these words came out, everyone looked in bafflement at Huo Fenglie, who was staring at Liu Zhenqing intently. Although there was no expression on his face, his mood was obviously low.

Was…..was this a quarrel? What was with this guard? Was he really a guard?

No way. They had just returned, and the soldiers were afraid something would happen again.

“This…..before, Young Master Liu was…..”

Liu Zhenqing glanced at Huo Fenglie and found him looking like a dog with its ears twitching. He was not soft-hearted, and said directly: “I’m not happy to reside with your general now, am I?”

Such obvious ruffled feathers caused the others to give Huo Fenglie meaningful looks, wanting him to coax the other party. But Huo Fenglie didn’t open his mouth. After all, even he didn’t know why Liu Zhenqing had lost his temper with him.

He could only say with a downcast expression: “Prepare it for Young Master Liu.”

Everyone looked at the person who had spoken up first, none daring to be the one to take up dividing the boss’s family.

Although everyone was pushing and shoving, arrangements were made for Liu Zhenqing. Only, it was arranged right next to the general’s camp.

Liu Zhenqing took Liu Qiao to the camp. When he saw Huo Fenlgie following them, he said: “Why are you following me? Get down to business.”

Huo Fenglie could only stop and watch Liu Zhenqing and Liu Qiao enter the tent.

Behind him was a group of theatergoers, who immediately stepped forward to comfort him.

“General, is Young Master Liu angry because he was frightened by the kidnapping?”

“Did he suffer a lot in Western Shu? It’s strange to blame you for following him.”

“It’s alright, General. Let’s go back and defeat Western Shu so that Young Master Liu calms down!”

“The general didn’t say that. Based on my experience with love affairs, you can’t save face right now. You must brazenly go and coax him.”

Huo Fenglie turned his head to give everyone a cold look: “You have so much free time?”

Everyone immediately dispersed.

Dai Tingyu and Tang Rou, who had heard the news, also rushed over. As soon as they entered the camp, Dai Tingyu was dragged into wild gossip by the other military officials. After all, Huo Fenglie was giving off an aura of low pressure right then, and they didn’t dare to get close. They could only rely on the shameless, brazen Dai Tingyu. Tang Rou went directly to see Liu Zhenqing.

Upon entering, she saw Liu Zhenqing sitting in front of a desk as he wrote something. Behind him stood a man carefully grinding ink.

Tang Rou glanced at Liu Zhenqing, then looked at Liu Qiao and found her eyes widening uncontrollably. “You…..you’re…..”

Liu Zhenqing recalled that Liu Qiao had been with him back then, so Tang Rou might have seen him before. He just made up an excuse and pretended that Liu Qiao followed him afterward.

Tang Rou didn’t overthink it. She wanted to ask a few words about Young Master Liu’s affairs, but felt that he would be offended, so she didn’t say much in the end. She just felt a little nostalgic now, seeing the person at Young Master Liu’s side.

Dai Tingyu heard that the two were having trouble and that there was an extra guard at Liu Zhenqing’s side, and couldn’t wait to rush to Huo Fenglie and gossip about how he had offended Liu Zhenqing.

Huo Fenglie was sitting dully in the tent, dealing with military affairs as Dai Tingyu asked nonstop questions. In the end, he could only raise his cold eyes and say: “He wants me to get engaged to Tang Rou, but I won’t agree.”

Hearing this, Dai Tingyu was instantly anxious: “That won’t work! Tang-chengzhu is unwilling, so how could it be possible! Why did he bring this up…..wait, I seem to have heard Tang-furen mention this. I thought she was speaking nonsense!”

Huo Fenglie’s expression turned ugly again: “He also wants to report to the emperor that Qiao An is jealous of him and made me unhappy, so that the emperor will reluctantly agree that I have a close relationship with him.”

“Ah? What on earth is he trying to do?” Dai Tingyu was dumbfounded.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes were full of gloom. “He does whatever he wants, and whatever he thinks is what comes out. He was one person when I found him, and another person now. I have no idea what’s on his mind. He doesn’t want it now, but will want it again later, regardless of my feelings. Should I be the angry one?”

Dai Tingyu was shocked. This was the first time he had seen Huo Fenglie so emotional, and he was even complaining casually. Dai Tingyu almost couldn’t recognize his brother.

This was what Huo Fenglie had concluded after thinking it over for a long while, but when he finished his emotional words, he couldn’t help but stare blankly. He said self-deprecatingly: “What qualifications do I have to be angry? He wanted it before, but he doesn’t want it now. Now that he’s got Liu Qiao, he doesn’t need me anymore.”

“Er-ge, are you talking about tongue-twisters? Do you hear what you’re saying? I heard it, but I don’t understand it.” Dai Tingyu’s eyes were wide. Was this really his Brother Huo? Why did he seem to be in self-denial?

Young Master Liu could usually be seen flirting with Brother Huo most of the time. Why, from Brother Huo’s mouth, did Young Master Liu sound like a scumbag?

But without waiting for Dai Tingyu to persuade him, Huo Fenglie stood up. “You’re all here. I have some proper business to speak of.”

Having said this, he walked out and turned toward the camp next door.

Dai Tingyu thought to himself, wasn’t he using their arrival as an excuse to rush to see Liu Zhenqing?

When Huo Fenglie entered the tent and saw Liu Zhenqing and Tang Rou chatting happily, with Liu Qiao also standing by, he felt even more sullen.

Liu Zhenqing just gave Huo Fenglie a glance, then said: “Just in time. I’ve written it down and put it on the table, have a look.”

Huo Fenglie’s eyes flashed, and when he stepped forward, he saw the secret message that was to be sent to Yuan Jue. Liu Zhenqing had already arranged the wording for him.

Although he knew it was for proper business, there was still sadness in Huo Fenglie’s heart. But when he got a good look at these words in his tone of voice, implicitly emphasizing how much he cared about ‘Liu Xiaozhu,’ his heart still hurt.

Qing-ge knew Yuan Jue best, so shouldn’t he understand the consequences of sending this letter? In that case, why did he still want him to get engaged? Had…..Qing-ge changed his mind?

That should be the case. After all, Qing-ge had never brought up the matter again. Huo Fenglie calmed down, saying: “I understand.”

Presently, he explained the current situation to Tang Rou and Dai Tingyu, only speaking of the secrets revealed by Qiao An, but not the situation with Qiao Jin and Liu Qiao. After, their act required the cooperation of Nanfeng City.

The expressions of these two changed when they heard this. After a serious discussion, they also wanted to meet Qiao An.

Huo Fenglie was going to take them to see Qiao An, but Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to go.

“You go ahead. In any case, I know everything I need to know. I’m tired and can’t be bothered to run around.”

Huo Fenglie frowned, knowing that Liu Zhenqing just didn’t want to be around him. Tang Rou and Dai Tingyu exchanged glances and went out first.

Huo Fenglie turned around to ask, then stopped. He said: “Qing-ge I have something to say.”

Liu Zhenqing raised an eyebrow, thinking that he finally couldn’t bear it anymore. It was time to have Liu Qiao go out so that they could clear things up between them.

Huo Fenglie approached Liu Zhenqing, gazing down at him. Finally, he lifted his hands to gently hold Liu Zhenqing’s as he said: “Qing-ge, don’t be angry with me, okay?”

Raising his head, Liu Zhenqing said: “Then do you know what I’m angry about?”

Huo Fenglie’s expression shifted. He said: “I didn’t listen to what Qing-ge said or do what Qing-ge wanted. Now…..what does Qing-ge want from me?”

This wording was not what Liu Zhenqing wanted to hear, but he still made do with it and opened his mouth to say: “Did you really listen to everything? Then I want you to decide…..”

He hadn’t finished speaking yet when the force on his wrists made him groan with a wince.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie with an ugly expression and found that Huo Fenglie’s expression was even more unsightly than his.

“Qing-ge, you still haven’t changed your mind?”

Liu Zhenqing laughed angrily: “I should be the one asking you if you’ve changed your mind yet. Just want to play? Don’t want to be serious?”

His tone sank due to his anger, which immediately offended Huo Fenglie. Huo Fenglie instantly paled. Of course he understood. He knew that Qing-ge only wanted to play with him and didn’t intend to be serious, but there was no need to say it out loud and break his heart, okay? Was it because he feared it getting serious that Huo Fenglie must get engaged? How could Qing-ge be so cruel to him?

Huo Fenglie released Liu Zhenqing’s hands and said: “Qing-ge, I really can’t do it, but I’ll agree to any other conditions.”

Liu Zhenqing was furious. Seeing that Huo Fenglie was still maintaining a stubborn attitude, he suddenly felt as if he’d been tricked, and said in a temper: “Huo Fenglie, let me ask, do you like me?”

Huo Fenglie’s eyes instantly widened, and he stared at Liu Zhenqing in disbelief: “No, Qing-ge, I don’t like…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression went blank. Even though it was a lie, it still hurt. Unexpectedly, it was difficult to get to the bottom of this.

“Then get out!”

Huo Fenglie lowered his head stiffly. His heavy breathing could be heard throughout the tent. In the end, he didn’t let go of his stubbornness and turned around to go.

As soon as he went out, everyone noticed the problem with Huo Fenglie’s expression and knew that the reconciliation had failed.

This time, Dai Tingyu didn’t dare to say anything more until they saw Qiao An and were about to send him out.

Huo Fenglie suddenly took Tang Rou aside to talk.

Tang Rou felt it was a little strange, but came to a stop. Unexpectedly, Huo Fenglie came up to her and said: “Tang-chengzhu, I have no intention of marrying in this life, so no matter what Young Master Liu tells you, please refuse directly.”

Tang Rou was dumbfounded. Where was this going, ah?

“General Huo, that was my mother’s intention, but I have made my stance clear. I will not marry anyone, which I also told Young Master Liu.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t think much after hearing this, and just thought that Liu Zhenqing was working both sides.

“He wants us to get engaged.”

“How is that possible!” Tang Rou outright denied it. “He wants to get engaged to you.”

Huo Fenglie shook his head, but Tang Rou said consideringly: “It seems there really is a misunderstanding. I can go confront Young Master Liu. He likes you so much, how could he let you get engaged to me?”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly for a moment, then said: “He doesn’t like me, he just wants to be on intimate terms with me.”

Tang Rou smiled: “General Huo, everyone can tell whether or not he likes you. Have you always thought that he doesn’t like you? Then I’ll venture to ask, do you like Young Master Liu?”

Huo Fenglie froze.

Tang Rou looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “I can’t say much about the matters between you two, but there is one answer I can give you – I will not get engaged to you. The truth is that in my heart, I admire Prime Minister Liu. He is gone, and I really won’t marry anyone else.”

Huo Fenglie looked at Tang Rou with a frown. She smiled in relief and said: “Actually, my brother had spoken of giving my hand to Prime Minister Liu. Even as a concubine, it could be regarded as repaying a favor, as well as a show of trust. But Prime Minister Liu said that he was in a precarious situation, and to put it out of mind. I knew that was his gentle rejection.”

Tang Rou touched the jade pendant at her waist and said with a smile: “Although he treated women too softly, he still had a sense of measure. He gave me this jade pendant as a reward after he got drunk. He didn’t really want to give it to me.”

“And I…..I was timid at first and didn’t fight for myself. If I could go back to the beginning, I would at least want to express my feelings to him in person. Even if I was rejected, I would have no regrets in this life. Otherwise, I can’t help but regret it and fantasize that maybe if I had spoken up in the first place, there would be a different ending, even if it was accompanying him in death. But in the end, I still have regrets in this life.”

Having said this, Tang Rou looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “I heard that you also had feelings for Prime Minister Liu, but you probably didn’t really express them back then. What a blessing it is to find someone to love now. Cherish him. Don’t miss your chance again.”

Although Tang Rou didn’t know what was happening between the two, if Huo Fenglie didn’t like something Liu Zhenqing did, he should say so openly and clearly express his love. Tang Rou believed that everything could be solved in this way.

Huo Fenglie looked at this woman who had such regrets and felt his heart tremble. At least he was still with Qing-ge. Maybe he was lucky enough.

Thinking of Qing-ge’s question just now, perhaps he should tell the truth and not allow himself to have regrets. But in that case, wouldn’t Qing-ge be farther away from him? He couldn’t afford to take the gamble.

He just wanted to be with Qing-ge forever. He would never place any burden on him. It didn’t matter if it was only for fun, but just don’t push him on others. 

On the other side, Liu Zhenqing had smashed practically everything in the tent, leaving Liu Qiao befuddled.

Watching Liu Zhenqing pant, he said obediently: “Master, do you still want to smash things?” 

“You…..you go and beat up Er-gou!” Liu Zhenqing said at once.

Although Liu Qiao was momentarily stunned, he still turned around to leave. Of course, he was stopped by Liu Zhenqing.

“Damnit, he’s playing with me like this and I can’t bear to let him go.” 

Liu Zhenqing was utterly exasperated.

Liu Qiao finally revealed a bit of curiosity, saying: “Master, what’s wrong between the two of you? General Huo has been obedient to you since he was a child. How could he make you angry? He likes you so much.”

Liu Zhening suddenly seemed to have found an outlet to unburden himself: “You all keep saying that he likes me, but has he ever admitted it? He’s personally denied it, twice. He also rejected my marriage proposal twice. I suspect I’ve been brainwashed by you all. Maybe he doesn’t even like me, and it was just me being sentimental.”

Liu Zhenqing spoke as if he had lost heart.

Then Liu Qiao said suddenly: “Ah? He doesn’t like you? But he clearly used the ashes of your previous body to get that tattoo.” From Liu Qiao’s perspective, he didn’t understand love, but this was love to the point of madness.

Liu Zhenqing, who was smashing his pillow, was stupefied when he heard this. He turned his head to stare at Liu Qiao in astonishment, saying: “What…..what tattoo do you mean?”

“The willow leaf tattoo he has on his body. Master, have you not seen it yet? Your ashes are mixed into it.” Liu Qiao recalled what happened back then.

That year, once he had recovered from his injuries and was able to move, he hadn’t gone directly back to Qiao Jin, but instead returned to the capital, intending to seize his master’s coffin. When he heard the rumors about Huo Fenglie, Liu Qiao was furious and planned to kill him. But when he was crouching in the dark, he saw him and a few friends going to find an old tattooer in the capital.

At that time, Huo Fenglie opened a bottle and told the old man to mix the contents in.

The old man asked: “What is it?”

“Ashes.”

“Whose?”

“Qing-ge’s.”

“Who is Qing-ge?”

“My beloved.”

The old man asked strangely: “Even if they’re from your beloved, aren’t you afraid of nightmares?”

“If I can dream of him, nightmares are fine too.”

The old man persuaded: “Such infatuation. Why do you need to get a tattoo? Carrying it with you is just the same.”

“The battlefield is ever-changing, and I’m afraid that if I die there, they might be lost. With this tattoo on my body, even if I die, I won’t fear that I’ll be unable to find him in the underworld.”

The old man stopped persuading him.

Liu Qiao also saw things clearly, and quietly left.

He had determined that Huo Fenglie liked Liu Zhenqing, so as he protected Qiao Jin, he would also protect Huo Fenglie when he was in trouble.

After hearing this, Liu Zhenqing was completely dumbfounded.

---

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Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three

As Li Xiu looked at his grandmother, a bit of hope immediately rose in his chest.

But in the next second, the reanimated corpse continued its previous action. It seemed that the pause after hearing Li Xiu’s voice was just a coincidence.

At this moment, time seemed to go by very slowly.

Li Xiu felt a throbbing pain spreading from his sternum, as if some invisible person had stabbed him in the chest.

He was so sad that he could hardly breathe.

Almost at the same time, Teacher Xu rushed from his side toward the grandmother’s body. A quick, faint spell escaped the man’s lips, and immediately after, he took out several yellow papers and hurled them toward the corpse. Those talisman papers were completely divorced from scientific common sense. After being thrown, balls of flames flared up halfway and clung to the corpse as if they had a mind of their own.

Now, the corpse actually stopped.

Fang Qian’an seized the opportunity. He let out a cry of terror and hunched down, stumbling away from the corpse’s cold, dry hand.

“Help, ah!” He shouted at Teacher Xu and Li Xiu.

And during such a short moment, the fire talismans Teacher Xu had thrown out had already dissipated.

The corpse could be seen swaying, then slamming down from the ceiling. The deformed thing squirmed on the floor for a few seconds and then, like an insect or some kind of animal, the corpse’s back arched into a bizarre, twisted posture.

It directed a terrifying scream toward Teacher Xu, the sound guttural and penetrating.

A strong, rancid odor mixed with disinfectant spurted out. Li Xiu tried to hold his breath, but in the end, he almost retched.

Seeing his grandmother become like this, Li Xiu was on the verge of collapse.

“Grandmother!” the youth shouted subconsciously.

The excessive shock even caused him to forget his fear. At that moment, Li Xiu couldn’t help but rush a few steps in the direction of his grandmother.

He still couldn’t believe that this “monster,” shrieking as it moved, was his grandmother.

And that she didn’t remember him at all.

Fortunately, as soon as Li Xiu moved, Qiao Yang encircled his waist and dragged him backward.

The young Taoist disciple’s face was pale as he said over and over again, “Don’t, Li Xiu. Don’t get closer. She’s already a reanimated corpse, and we don’t know what kind of monster is inside it. Don’t go over there!”

Although he seemed to be doing better than Li Xiu, in fact, he was also frightened to the point of losing his soul. In his memory, the last time a reanimated corpse had appeared in China was in 1995. Qiao Yang had originally thought that this matter was about to become a metaphysical horror story, and as a result, he was right.

…..He now very much hoped that a martial artist stuntman like Lin Zhenying would parachute down in front of him.

The most important thing was that, at this moment, the grandmother was not the only reanimated corpse in the luxurious mansion.

Shasha…..

Sha…..

Figures moved within the darkness.

Sluggish, slightly deformed pale figures stood up unsteadily and walked slowly in the direction of Li Xiu and the others.

They were ordinary people who had been bitten by the corpse before.

“We must go, quickly!” Teacher Xu shouted loudly. Raising his hand, he nailed several talismans onto the heads and shoulders of those people. Then, he supported Fang Qian’an and retreated toward Li Xiu and Qiao Yang. The four of them gathered together. Teacher Xu pushed Li Xiu and Qiao Yang, and everyone began to run toward the door.

Bang—

The man slammed the mansion’s double doors shut.

Almost at the same time the door closed, several spine-tingling, dull thumping sounds came from behind it.

Those “people” who had besieged Fang Qian’an before were slamming their bodies against it continuously.

Li Xiu covered his mouth, watching the slightly shaking doors in horror.

Teacher Xu was also breathing heavily. He patted Li Xiu on the shoulder and said calmly, “Those talismans won’t last long…..these things haven’t been seen in this country for many, many years. I’m not a member of the Xiangxi sect, so I’m not a professional when it comes to drawing talismans.”

It was dark inside the building.

Just like when they had rushed over urgently.

When they arrived, Teacher Xu and Li Xiu discovered that the high-end building that was supposed to be lit 24/7 was now enveloped by darkness.

The security personnel, the lobby manager, and even the proprietor had vanished as if they had been swallowed up by a monster.

Teacher Xu knew things weren’t good, but even he hadn’t expected that after all that hard work of climbing the stairs to get there, they would face such a terrifying scene.

After leaving the Fang residence, the four of them naturally ignored the elevator and ran straight to the fire escape.

When leaving, Teacher Xu put himself behind everyone, and the group quickly spiraled down the fire escape.

Occasionally, strange rustling noises could be heard on the other side of the fire escape doors. Apart from their rapid footsteps, there was only thick darkness in the corridor and an almost substantive oppressive fear.

Finally, Li Xiu couldn’t hold himself back and asked in a breathless whisper: “Who were the people in the house just now? Are they dead?”

“Haven’t you ever seen a zombie movie? People bitten by zombies will also become zombies,” Qiao Yang said in a low voice.

“They’re…..dead?” Li Xiu heard Fang Qian’an say in a hoarse voice.

Qiao Yang said nothing.

All at once, Li Xiu was filled with panic.

Fortunately, after a few seconds’ pause, Qiao Yang added: “…..No, but they’re soaked in yin qi right now, so I guess they’re pretty much like living corpses.”

Walking behind everyone, Teacher Xu suddenly said in a stern tone, “Don’t talk so much.”

They all fell silent at once.

The reason was very simple. Because just after Teacher Xu told them to be quiet, everyone in the stairwell heard the faint sound of footsteps in that moment of silence.

Ka—

Ka—

Those were not human footsteps at all.

It sounded more like someone jumping on their tiptoes.

Behind him, Li Xiu heard the faint sound of paper rustling in Teacher Xu’s hands.

He subconsciously started to look back, but as soon as he turned his head slightly, Teacher Xu suddenly reached out and pressed the back of his head.

“Don’t look.”

Teacher Xu’s voice was hoarse, with a hint of nearly unnoticeable weakness. Li Xiu immediately moved forward, not daring to look back. All four of them had cell phones with them, and they should have been able to descend the fire escape faster with the light. But for some reason, everyone avoided doing so.

However, in such imposing darkness, a person’s perception became particularly sharp.

Several times, as Li Xiu went down the steps, he felt that the feeling of them wasn’t right.

His soles were very sticky, and there was an indescribably strange smell in the air.

Occasionally…..

Only occasionally, Li Xiu felt as if he was stepping on something soft.

Li Xiu walked down through the darkness step by step. In a daze, he felt as if he was trapped in an absurd, void-like nightmare.

He really hoped this was all a dream. After all, zombies weren’t real in dreams, nor was his reanimated grandmother who was unable to rest in peace. And there would be no such suffocating darkness as he moved forward.

Ka—

The building was very tall.

When they reached the second half of their journey, Li Xiu, whose feet were already clumsy, could hardly move no matter how many people were coming.

He unconsciously slowed down.

Just behind them, the sounds grew even closer.

Sometimes, Li Xiu sensed that the strange footsteps entirely overlapped with theirs. So loud, so vivid, so close that it was almost right next to their group, following them down in the darkness.

Li Xiu gritted his teeth, the taste of blood filling his mouth.

His foot hurt as if it was about to break.

The extreme tension almost seemed to make his body fracture apart, his mind almost unable to control his legs—

He heard Teacher Xu urge from behind him: “Li Xiu, hurry up…..”

Bolstering himself, Li Xiu answered: “Okay.”

But before he finished speaking, he accidentally stepped wrong and fell forward uncontrollably.

He let out a muffled scream.

Despair swept over him instantly. Li Xiu knew very well that if he fell down the stairs right now, what awaited him would not only be injury, but also…..

A pair of hands suddenly reached out and grabbed Li Xiu very firmly.

“Fang Qian’an?”

“Shh…..” the other boy hissed in a suppressed whisper.

Before Li Xiu could react, he was once again being carried on the back of the former school bully. Li Xiu reflexively struggled, and felt Fang Qian’an’s body tense up.

Li Xiu heard Fang Qian’an warn him stiffly: “I’m warning you not to struggle. I don’t have much strength right now.”

“You’re a skinny little thing, and not hard to carry at all, so you’d better stay on top of me and not cause me any trouble.”

“…..”

The frail youth bit his lip. In the face of this crude warning, he didn’t utter a retort. On the contrary, he adjusted his posture as much as he could — his thighs hooked around Fang Qian’an’s waist, with his upper body pressed against Fang Qian’an’s back. His arms looped around the other boy’s shoulders and chest.

This posture could save Fang Qian’an some effort.

However, it also enabled Li Xiu notice how tense Fang Qian’an was.

Ka—

The strange footsteps sounded again.

Li Xiu instinctively tightened his thighs.

And through the thin clothing, Li Xiu could clearly feel Fang Qian’an’s body spasm several times. Then it abruptly became as unyielding as stone, and even the hands Fang Qian’an was using to grab onto his thighs unconsciously exerted force.

Li Xiu’s legs and feet weren’t strong, and his thigh muscles were extremely soft.

Fang Qian’an’s fingers practically sunk into his thighs, making Li Xiu feel a little sore.

But he didn’t care about such minor pain in this situation.

“Thank you.”

Li Xiu’s grateful voice could be heard in the darkness, as quiet as a mosquito.

Fang Qian’an’s back was soaked with sweat from the previous fright. But it was still broad and strong, the arms holding Li Xiu as firm as ever.

It felt familiar to Li Xiu.

He could help but think, how many times had this occurred?

It seemed to have happened several times.

When he was nearly unable to walk, it seemed that the same person would silently lead him forward amidst unknown fear and inescapable darkness.

Thud, thud—

There seemed to be a slight problem with his heartbeat.

Li Xiu closed his eyes and pressed his face against Fang Qian’an’s shoulder, his thoughts hazy.

Time seemed to pass very slowly, yet also very fast.

All the way down from the top of the building, he finally saw the exit. All of them almost fell to their knees due to the double burden of physical and mental pressure.

Teacher Xu was the last one to step out of the fire escape.

Li Xiu noticed keenly that Teacher Xu wasn’t holding multiple talismans in his hand, but just one last piece of talisman paper.

Having escaped in such a way, unlike how the other three were panting, Teacher Xu’s face was pale, as if he had just been fished out of water.

Before Li Xiu could ask Teacher Xu how he was doing, the man suddenly turned and threw the last talisman into the darkness.

Then he slammed the escape door.

Thud—

In the next second, Li Xiu heard an extremely familiar strange, dull smashing sound.

“Teacher Xu?”

“It’s alright.” Teacher Xu held himself up using the wall and met Li Xiu’s eyes, shaking his head slightly.

He said softly: “Let’s go. Get in the car first.”

After a brief rest, the four people supported each other as they staggered toward the building’s exit.

But then, they came upon a dense nighttime fog.

Teacher Xu’s lips moved slightly, no longer so gentle as he let out a curse.

“Damn—”

---

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Chapter 51 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 53

“Hey…..little brat…..why the hell are you trying to play dead?”

“Fuck, you’re playing tricks again…..”

Fang Qian’an dimly felt someone pull his hair, kick him in the stomach, and slap him.

Wait…..who dared do this to him?

Before the anger could rise to the surface of his consciousness, he first felt a chill radiating from his bones and an unprecedented feeling of weakness.

He felt as if he had turned into a ball of cotton, which was then soaked in ice water.

His body was so heavy that he couldn’t even move his fingers. It was a very strange feeling, but mysteriously and inexorably, Fang Qian’an felt that it was supposed to be like this.

So weak, miserable, and hopeless.

When he exerted all his strength, Fang Qian’an managed to open his eyes despite the stinging pain. Several blurry-looking people in housekeeping uniforms appeared in his hazy field of vision.

“You finally stopped playing dead.”

Seeing “Fang Qian’an” open his eyes, the man sneered and dragged him up by his arm.

“Stop pretending to be pitiful in here. Stand up on your own. Do you want us to carry you away in a sedan chair?”

Amidst the harsh insults, “Fang Qian’an” struggled to stand steadily.

He realized then that he had just been huddled in a small, windowless room that was extremely cramped and cold. Now, he was suddenly pushed into the outside world, and the light shining in from the floor-to-ceiling windows made his eyes tear up. His body shook uncontrollably.

The housekeeper next to him let out an irritated grunt. “What are you waiting around for? The Madam wants to see you. Hey, I’m telling you, don’t pull in tricks here and get us scolded—” As she spoke, she slapped “Fang Qian’an” hard and he almost fell to the floor again.

How dare these people do this to him—

No…..

Hadn’t they always been like this?

Why was he angry? He was obviously accustomed to it already.

Two completely different emotions intertwined in “Fang Qian’an’s” heart.

“Fang Qian’an” vaguely remembered that his status was very high and everyone should be supporting him, but at this moment, what emerged inside him was a strong feeling of helplessness.

“He” couldn’t even feel any resistance within himself.

It was like…..like his body had long been used to this sort of treatment.

And he also knew very well that any resistance would only lead to even more brutal beatings and beratement.

Yes, this was his daily life. Why would he think he could resist these people?

Biting his lip, “Fang Qian’an” staggered up expressionlessly.

He was shoved by the housekeeper behind him, and walked with dragging steps to the living room of the luxurious villa.

A woman was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup and slowly enjoying her afternoon tea.

“Fang Qian’an” couldn’t see her face clearly. He could only see bright red lips embedded in a pale face, like a fake and terrifying mask.

When she caught sight of Fang Qian’an, the woman’s lips curled downward. It was an expression of extreme disgust and dislike.

The woman’s voice sounded harshly: “Tsk, after teaching you for so long, you still don’t know any manners. What’s the matter, you won’t address me when you see me?”

“Fang Qian’an’s” lips moved slightly.

But after trying for a long time, he still didn’t make a sound.

To the side, a housekeeper speculated on the madam’s mood with a frown and moved to slap the frail boy again.

The woman sneered and signaled for the housekeeper to stop.

“Forget it. If you don’t want to address me, then don’t address me. It’s actually very unlucky to be called “Mom” by a little bastard. Oh, by the way, I called you here to tell you something.”

The woman put down her teacup and gazed at Fang Qian’an with two dark, empty eyes.

“That cheap mother of yours is dead.”

“……”

The woman said with a smile: “I heard that her death was quite tragic, and that she must have jumped to her death. The body no longer looked human. Tsk, tsk, she used to use her face to win men over. This must be her punishment, you see, having no face after death.”

Time seemed to have stopped inside the villa. The surroundings were quiet and cool.

“Fang Qian’an” continued to stand a distance away, staring blankly at the woman before him.

He didn’t make a sound.

The woman continued to stare.

“Fang Qian’an” had the strong, inexplicable feeling that the reason why this woman was looking at him so intently was just to see his expression of pain, despair, and collapse.

However, he was unable to fulfill the woman’s wish. His heart was numb.

“Fang Qian’an” happened to look behind the woman.

In the sunny living room, there was a faint shadow behind her.

Barely visible, it looked like a person with their head hanging down.

The child’s silence made the woman frown in dissatisfaction.

“Your mother died and you don’t even react. What can I say, you were born a bastard, a white-eyed wolf,” the woman said icily.

“If Xiao Wei’s brain wasn’t muddled, I certainly would have never let you into this house. Li Yu, if you have any sense, you had best behave in the future. You must know that if I hadn’t taken you in, now that you’re an orphan…..”

“I’m not an orphan.”

“Fang Qian’an” heard himself suddenly speak up in a hoarse tone, saying to the woman word by word, “I still have a younger brother.”

When the frail boy spoke, his voice was unusually stubborn.

“Mama took me to see him. My little didi is very pretty and well-behaved.”

“Ha? When did you—”

“I still have my grandmother, and she’s with Didi.”

Gradually, very gradually, the child’s voice finally took on a tearful tone.

“I don’t want to be your child at all. Just throw me out. I’ll go find Grandmother and my didi.”

“I don’t want to live with bad people like you at all—”

There was a crash as the woman smashed something.

The expensive bone china teacup shattered to pieces on “Fang Qian’an’s” forehead. Hot tea poured down, burning half of his face to such an extent that even the blood continuously oozing from his wounds felt cold in contrast to the hot liquid.

In extreme pain, “Fang Qian’an” heard the woman scream: “Even at such a time, you want to make me angry. Lock this bastard away!”

“Lock him away until he’s sensible!”

Soon after, they threw “Fang Qian’an,” or rather, Li Yu, back into the cold, cramped room at the end of the hallway.

The lock clicked, and darkness enveloped the child once more.

In the room, there was suddenly a kind of faint scratching sound.

The child who remained unmoved in the face of beatings was now huddled in the corner with a look of fear on his swollen face. He raised his eyes to look at the wall on the other side of the room — on the filthy wall, a small red door had appeared at some point.

A sort of vague murmur sounded from behind the door.

However, no matter how hard “Fang Qian’an” listened in his dream, he couldn’t clearly hear what the voice was saying.

He only knew that he was shaking his head unceasingly as he held himself tighter.

There was no telling how long it was like this until the door opened again.

“I just came to see how he’s doing, don’t tell my sister…..”

“Fang Qian’an” lay shivering on the floor, lacking the strength to raise his head.

He sensed someone coming in.

However, the man didn’t shove him or dump rank food into the stainless steel bucket for him like a dog.

The person just came in and crouched beside him, then click, click, took photos of him.

“Wow, he really is pitiful, ah.”

The voice was clearly that of a young man, but it sounded particularly murky.

The man clicked his tongue and took a few more photos, then reached out and manipulated the child’s body so that the wounds would be more exposed to the camera.

Gradually, his breathing became heavier.

Just like that, he grabbed the child’s hair and turned his face toward him, then let out a low exclamation. 

“Damn, it turns out you’re still awake.”

“Fang Qian’an” blinked slowly.

He looked toward that person, and a familiar face came into view.

It was Ou Yang.

It was Ou Yang in his youth.

The young Ou Yang held a camera in his hand. When he met “Fang Qian’an’s” eyes, his mouth stretched into an uncontrollable grin.

He looked like a starving feral dog drooling over a piece of meat.

A strange light flared in the depths of his eyes.

“Hey, Li Yu…..” he heard Ou Yang called out.

“It’s easier now that you’re awake, little guy. I heard you haven’t eaten in a long time, right? Are you very hungry?”

“……”

“Look how pitiful you are like this. I’ll start a video in a minute, and you, just follow my instructions and take off your clothes. How about you take off a piece of clothing and I’ll give you a cookie?” As Ou Yang spoke, he took a cookie from his pocket and waved it in front of the child.

Although it sounded like he was making a suggestion, his hand was already on the emaciated child’s lapel.

In the next second, Ou Yang screamed.

“Ouch—”

He never expected that the child who was already on death’s door would still have the strength to scratch him. If he hadn’t been able to dodge quickly, his eye might have been gouged out by this bastard.

“You’ve got a fucking death wish!”

Immediately after, he kicked the child.

“Fang Qian’an” whimpered and curled in on himself.

He had no way to avoid the man’s beating. In the hands of a wealthy second-generation like Ou Yang, the expensive XLR camera became an easy-to-obtain tool for pummeling someone to death.

Thwack—

Thwack—

Thwack—

In severe pain, the child’s consciousness began to blur.

The floor became wet, slippery, and a little sticky.

“Fang Qian’an” tried to speak, but was in too much pain. Just by opening his mouth, a sweet, pungent liquid spurted from his mouth and nose.

He couldn’t even beg for mercy.

At last, Ou Yang suddenly stopped.

Panting heavily, he climbed to his feet next to the unmoving boy and looked in bewilderment at the mass of flesh and blood on the floor that no longer looked human.

“Fuck, did I make a mistake—”

He scratched his hair, a trace of fear flashing through his eyes.

“Hey, little bastard!”

Ou Yang swallowed a gulp of saliva and softly tapped the child on the ground with his toes……he was soft.

As soft as mud.

Ou Yang’s expression truly became ugly now.

He picked up the camera on the floor and held it in his arms, wiping off the blood. Then he hastily ran out of the room and slammed the door.

Through the door, he could faintly hear someone else talking to him.

“Young Master Ou, what’s wrong? Oh, heavens, why is there so much blood?

“What are you asking for? It has nothing to do with you. Oh, and you’re not allowed to tell anyone about this.”

“…..”

“Talking too much won’t save you money. So don’t tell anyone about this if you can’t handle the consequences, you hear…..”

“Y-yes, Young Master Ou.”

The voices started to become hazy and distant.

“Fang Qian’an” lay silently on the floor, and the fierce, stabbing pain gradually left his body.

His body began to grow cold.

“He” was going to die.

Although he was only a young child, he was unusually clear about the fact that he would die soon.

In sharp contrast to his gradually weakening flame of life, a fierce hatred rose continually in the child’s chest.

“It hurts, ah…..”

“It hurts…..”

“These bad people…..”

It was at this time that, in the darkness, he heard a moist rubbing sound.

The previously vague voice now became extremely clear.

[“Oh, you want all those people killed?”]

[“Then, what will you give in exchange?”]

[“All of you?]

[“Okay, even though I’ve been hungry for so long…..”]

[“Then from now on, everything about you belongs to me.”]

[“Your name.”]

[“Your body.”]

[“And your existence itself.”]

Something slowly covered his body.

It was a chill that could almost penetrate into the depths of the soul, bringing a pain even more unbearable than death.

It was like something was chewing him up.

Before his consciousness faded completely away, “Fang Qian’an” struggled to open his eyes and look at the thing on his body.

It was an evil, foul, disgusting thing.

It was eating him.

It was very hungry.

*

*

“Wu….cough, cough, cough…..”

Fang Qian’an woke up screaming.

The residual fear from the dream went deep into his bones, and he was so terrified that he had to keep gasping for breath. He began to cough violently.

Countless small, hard particles spurted from Fang Qian’an’s mouth, and when he covered it, he realized in a trance that he was spitting out rice.

Raw rice.

His mouth was actually full of uncooked rice.

After half-kneeling on the ground and coughing for a long time, Fang Qian’an was finally able to take a breath.

Only then did he realize that he was crouching in the kitchen. But the kitchen, which was always neatly tidied by Aunt Su, was now in a state of disarray. A sealed container of rice had been roughly dug out at some point and dumped on the floor.

Rice was scattered everywhere in front of Fang Qian’an.

Some of it had been spat out by him and was covered in his spit.

“What the hell?” Fang Qian’an looked around in horror, utterly confused.

What was he doing?

Why…..why was he here?

Right then, a hoarse question sounded from behind him.

“Does it taste good, ah?”

A chill ran down Fang Qian’an’s spine. He stood up unconsciously.

At this time, the one who came to check on the situation was his caretaker, Aunt Su.

The young school bully said in a panic: “Aunt Su, it’s like I’m fucking dreaming—”

But before he finished speaking, his words abruptly cut off. He looked behind him in shock and found that the person standing in the corner of the kitchen was not the familiar Aunt Su at all, but a somewhat familiar old lady.

The old lady’s face was pallid, and her eyes were a cloudy gray.

There was the smell of disinfectant, along with the very faint odor of a corpse.

Fang Qian’an trembled all over.

“G-Grandmother?”

Fang Qian’an’s mind went blank and he staggered back.

He recognized her. Wasn’t the old lady before him the same one who’d brought him and Li Xiu out of that other world?

He’d later heard that Li Xiu’s grandmother had died saving them.

But now, the body that was supposed to be lying in a funeral home had actually appeared in his kitchen?

Was this a nightmare?

Was he having a series of nightmares again?!

Fang Qian’an bit his tongue hard.

But the pain from the wound made him realize desperately that he wasn’t dreaming.

But Fang Qian’an would rather he was dreaming—

Because just as he was backing away in terror, he watched powerlessly as the old woman staggered toward him on tiptoe.

“Eat more, ah…..good boy, eat more…..”

Inarticulate mumbling came from the corpse’s mouth.

While speaking, the old woman actually put her skinny, chicken-foot-looking hand directly into her mouth.

First the palm, then the wrist, and finally the arm…..

The sense-defying action caused the corpse’s cheeks to burst open.

Drops of thick black blood continuously flowed from the open wounds.

Bit by bit, the old woman’s corpse took something out of its stomach.

Then it turned its head toward Fang Qian’an and smiled.

If that could even be called a smile.

The action just now had completely torn the old person’s jaw, and a gray-red tongue fell out limply. Black blood continued to gush out. In the corpse’s palm, covered in black blood, was a ball of broken bones covered in meat.

“Eat, eat. You’re so hungry,” the old person said.

“Grandmother hid it for you. Eat well. Only when you are full will you grow taller…..”

He watched as the old woman’s corpse drew closer and closer to him with its hand raised. 

Fang Qian’an was so terrified that he snatched the knife block near the sink and slammed it at her.

The heavy knife block hit the old person with a dull thump.

Fang Qian’an’s vaunted arm strength finally had a practical use.

Unlike those ethereal ghosts, the corpse’s body shook after being hit by the knife block and fell backward heavily.

This was his chance. Fang Qian’an screamed and ran directly over the old person’s body and out of the kitchen.

He reached out instinctively to press the house alarm and alert the security guards.

But before he could touch the screen, several familiar figures appeared in front of him.

When he saw them, Fang Qian’an’s pupils instantly shrunk.

“Is there a mistake…..” the boy whimpered desperately.

Those people were Aunt Su and the housekeeping staff on duty that night.

They were still the same people, but looking at them now, Fang Qian’an knew that something was wrong with them. Were they still alive? Fang Qian’an didn’t know.

Because each of them was walking in a strange, extremely stiff manner. And their eyes had all turned white, their faces circles of gray.

Fang Qian’an keenly spied a deep tooth mark on Aunt Su’s neck, as if it had just been bitten.

Terrifyingly, as they approached Fang Qian’an, they repeated in unison what that old corpse had said before.

“Eat, eat well.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

“You’re hungry.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Qian’an lifted a nearby chair and hurled it at them.

Several of them were knocked down, but Fang Qian’an failed to escape as smoothly as he had in the kitchen — for no other reason than that there were too many “people.”

The most horrifying thing was that after being hit, those “people” were clearly covered in blood, some of them even bearing obvious fractures and distortions on the shoulders and arms, but they seemed to be completely immune to the pain and continued to approach Fang Qian’an in that utterly bizarre way.

They urged Fang Qian’an: 

“Eat.”

“It’s time to eat.”

Without knowing it, Fang Qian’an was forced into a corner.

The former school bully was so scared that his face turned ashen and his voice trembled.

“Don’t come over here…..”

Fang Qian’an screamed and kept waving the weapon in his hand, a broken chair leg.

And at this moment, Fang Qian’an felt something tickling his neck. When he touched it, he found that at some point, his neck had been covered in foul, sticky black blood. 

“ ? ! ”

A chill rushed straight up his back. Fang Qian’an raised his head stiffly.

A twisted, broken face came into sight.

The old woman’s deformed corpse currently stood upside down on the ceiling, its hands hanging straight down.

The cracked mouth now looked like a pitch-black cavern.

“It’s time to eat…..” the corpse said fervently.

Thin, stiff fingers latched onto Fang Qian’an’s jaw.

“Wu —”

No matter how hard Fang Qian’an tried, he was entirely unable to move.

His eyes widened helplessly as he watched the corpse bring the thing in its hand to his lips little by little.

“No…..”

“Help…..help me…..” 

Fang Qian’an sobbed.

His whole body was ice cold, his face covered in tears and snot.

The whole world seemed blurry right then, and only the corpse’s deformed body and cloudy eyes seemed incredibly clear.

When he was about to be forced to eat the unknown object that had just been taken from the corpse’s belly, there was suddenly a loud noise at the door of the room.

The door was forcefully broken open.

“Grandmother! Don’t—”

A clear, alarmed voice immediately exploded in Fang Qian’an’s ears.

Fang Qian’an shook violently, and his consciousness instantly returned.

Li Xiu was panting as he knelt in the Fang family’s luxurious foyer. When he raised his head, the youth caught sight of the desperate scene in the corner.

With tears streaming down his face, he shouted at the familiar yet unfamiliar corpse by the wall:

“Grandmother! Grandmother, don’t do this! Let him go—”

When it heard Li Xiu’s call, there was a slight pause in the corpse’s movements.

---

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Chapter 50 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 52