Chapter 30

In their two days of exploration, the man named Yan had managed to lead them safely past the traps on the route that Zhen Mu had been to, proving the authenticity of his map.

On the seventh night, everything was ready.

The group entered the tomb again.

“This is the farthest we’ve been to.” Zhen Mu stopped and looked behind. “It was here that we met a long-haired ghost-like monster, up ahead…”

Several people looked at Mr. Yan.

“Boss, what should we do?” Xiao Li snickered as he turned to ask.

The man’s face stiffened. He took out the map and studied it attentively.

Zhen Hao frowned: “Of course we keep moving! Mr. Yan, didn’t you say that those things can be avoided? Didn’t we not see anything the last two days?.”

“That thing is not an ordinary zombie or the wicked things in the tomb, it’s a tomb guardian.”

“But do not worry.” The man gave Zhen Hao an emotionless look but because of the stiffness of his face, his expression seemed particularly cold. He nodded to Xiao Li and Zhen Mu, “Let’s press on. According to the map, there are only a few traps in this area. Although the tomb guardian is not marked on the map, this is not the first time we tomb raiders have come across such a situation. There were many other tombs without maps that we have raided. This little problem shouldn’t hold us back.”

The calm and definitive tone effectively motivated the fretful men.

Zhen Hao looked at Mr. Yan with a straight face and kept quiet, following behind the team as they continued forward. Lei Jie, standing in the rear position, squinted and sneered. After hearing his mentor’s soft laughter, he looked at Zhen Hao and the usually gentle eyes were filled with a touch of irony.

“Shibo, he’s going to be troublesome. This is a dangerous place, he might hold us back….”

“Don’t touch him, stinky boy.”

“…oh.” Xiao Luo lowered his head. Lei Jie placed her palm on his head and gave it a rub.

How long had it been in her line of work that she last saw a man whose discontent and arrogance were clearly written on his face? Lei Jie narrowed her eyes, in other words, it’s just plain stupidity.

…..

“This underground palace is so big. Look how long we’ve been walking?” Chunlei whispered.

Tiezi nodded: “And we have to avoid the traps and watch out for attacks from the creatures of the tomb.”

“Are there really tomb guardians? We haven’t even seen anything resembling the ghostly woman yet.” Tiezi touched his face. “Hm? Are we that deep underground? Why are there water droplets dripping on me? F**k! It’s in my mouth!”

Water droplets? Well, it’s plausible. This is within the mountain, there’s probably a river running through it, making the air dense enough to form the droplets.

Chunlei rolled his eyes at him: “That’s because your mouth is too big, you idiot!”

“Get lost!” Tiezi tried to spit out the water. He took a thermos from his backpack to gargle. Zhen Hao who had been following behind barged through them with an irritated look, almost causing Tiezi to drop his thermos.

“Step aside, don’t get in my way!”

Tiezi’s face immediately turned hostile. He wanted to speak up but was held back by Chunlei:” Don’t make any trouble!” Chunlei shook his head slightly and his eyes hinted that their boss was looking at them.

The angry Tiezi cursed at Zhen Hao’s back and spit.

He bit his teeth and whispered: “Damn it, see what I’ll do to him when Zhen Mu is gone!” As he said this, another droplet fell on his head. Tiezi’s anger was too prominent to care about the little things anymore.

At this moment, Xiao Li and Zhen Mu announced: “It’s a dead-end ahead!”

“Dead-end…” Mr. Yan stepped forward. He touched the wall and was about to say something when Zhen Hao interrupted him: “What’s wrong, Mr. Yan?! Did your map show us the wrong way?!”

“…..”

As soon as his words were said, there was only one thought in everyone’s mind: This man is an idiot, is he really questioning the real person in charge of this group?

Zhen Mu frowned with a sigh and Lei Jie all the way at the back snickered. The others looked at each other and thought: Is the boss going to kill him? 

Mr. Yan’s expression was frigid. He lowered his eyes and reached for his map, ignoring everyone else. He caressed the wall, feeling for a hidden mechanism on it.

“Tsk!” Chunlei and Tiezi were somewhat disappointed.

As for Zhen Hao, he was clenching his fist, thinking: How dare that Yan guy disrespects him, he’ll make him pay when they get out!

Standing in a place where no light could reach, the quiet Zhen Bei looked up at the dark ceiling of the tomb, slowly showing a chillingly silly smile.

Ah~ Here it comes.

…..

“By the way, who is guarding the outermost part of the tomb?” Wang Xiao Mie looked back at the man embracing him from behind.

“Hm? It’s Mu Shi and Mu Jiu.” Wen Feng Jin whispered as he continued to press his lips on Wang Xiao Mie’s neck.

Wang Xiao Mie was a little irritated and pushed him away. “Oh, it’s the two that look like jellyfish?” They’re soft and can even make the boing boing sound, it’s actually quite cute.

“They can turn themselves into water and penetrate the skin. People who are infiltrated by them will not feel any pain but… their insides will slowly be consumed, starting from the stomach to the intestines, then to the blood and flesh. Strangely though, they don’t eat the skin so in the end…”

“What’s left is only a piece of skin…”

“…..” Wang Xiao Mie swallowed his saliva. I’m a fool to think that they’re cute. 

The pale lips hooked up. Wen Feng Jin hugged Wang Xiao Mie with force. His gorgeous face was plastered to his neck, the tip of his nose pressed close to feel and sniff his skin.

“… Say, why are you so annoying today! You keep sniffing me, do I smell of something?” Wang Xiao Mie turned around and tried to grab Wen Feng Jin by the neck.

Wen Feng Jin lowered his head as he quietly gazed at him. This look coupled with the sparks in his eyes made Wang Xiao Mie blush.

Wang Xiao Mie could not hold his breath and succumb: “You, what did you want to say? And stopped dog-sniffing me like I’m a piece of bone.”

“…quite an accurate metaphor.” Wen Feng Jin moved Wang Xiao Mie’s hand on his neck to his lips and gave it a lick, “But I don’t know if Shixiong is willing to give me a bone~r…”

The words that will lead to a broken waist…

Wang Xiao Mie: “…..” my Xiao Wenzi is definitely possessed by something, that must be it!

“Stay away! Even Kai Ming is getting hot! What evil thoughts are you having?!” Wang Xiao Mie shouted as he ran around the coffin.

Wen Feng Jin chuckled a few times, following behind him slowly.

It’s not an evil thought, it’s just desire.

Wen Feng Jin’s elongated eyes swept over the sacred tree then back to Wang Xiao Mie who was staring at him on high alert.

…..come here quickly.

I’m getting impatient.

The one who wants my heart… you’re just in time, my Shixiong is also in need of a new sacrifice.

…..

The outermost area of the tomb

“Xiao Li, go with Zhen Mu to check the nearby walls.” Mr. Yan put his backpack on the ground and retrieved a piece of paper from it.

It was the inscription that used to be on the stone tablets.

Xiao Li and Zhen Mu looked at each other and went to look separately. There were two rows of alcoves with unlit candles along the walls of the passageway yet no one ever suggested lighting them.

In this tomb, the candles were most likely rigged with some kind of trap. It was safer to look to with a flashlight.

Seeing Mr. Yan’s undivided focus on finding the trigger, the group assumed this would take some time. Chunei and Tiezi sat on the tomb floor to rest and reserve their strength.

Zhen Hao stayed quiet for now. He stood in a distance with his arms folded, leaning against the stone-cold tomb wall. Nonetheless, the docile facade could not hide his anxiety.

Lei Jie was sitting to one side with her arm’s length knife in her hand. Her eyes studied the wall in front of them. It was engraved with wavy lines. Generally speaking, the gates inside a tomb would be carved with symbolic beliefs or ferocious beasts to scare graverobbers away. Rarer were the ones carved with the life story of the tomb master weaved into a fairy tale of some sort. 

This is too strange…

Xiao Luo did not put down his backpack or sit down to rest. He looked around cautiously then walked to Zhen Bei who was squatting on the ground.

Although his mentor said that there was something wrong with this man, seeing him squatting harmlessly without uttering a word, Xiao Luo decided to give him a pat on the shoulder.

Zhen Bei looked up at him with surprise, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” After patting him, Xiao Luo did not know what to say so he took his hand back awkwardly. After scrambling his brain, he said: “It’s dangerous here… be careful.”

Zhen Bei was taken aback. He blinked then flashed a brilliant smile.

“Thank you, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Xiao Luo assumed that those words were to thank him for his warning but little did he know that his small gesture of kindness had saved his mentor’s life…

“Woah, why are there more and more water dripping down?” Chunlei touched his arm. Even though there was a layer of fabric over his skin, he still felt an itching pain where the water came in contact.

“True…” Tiezi raised his neck and looked up. Another droplet fell directly into his right eye. “F**k!” He rubbed his eyes vigorously. 

At the same time, the sound of mechanism moving vibrated through the place!

Even Zhen Bei and Zhen Hao switched from their resting state to an attack mode!

However, after a closer look, it turned out that Zhen Mu and Xiao Li had managed to find the hidden switch on the wall. Mr. Yan with the inscription in hand nodded gently.

With the switch triggered, the plain wall carved with wavy lines slid down, revealing four indentations, each corresponding with a rotating wheel etched with numbers. (TN: something like a 4-digit padlock)

“A pin? Ha ha ha! The owner of this tomb is quite modern! And here I thought we could use Chunlei’s demolition skill. And a passcode lock? It’s like they are actually going in and out as if this is a house.” Xiao Li grinned.

Everyone had now gathered in front of the strange-looking device.

“Mr. Yan, we don’t know the code, if we make any mistakes…” We could die. Just as Zhen Mu finished asking, a loud rumbling screeched over their heads. Even the ground felt like it was trembling.

“What’s going on?! The wall is collapsing! We are sinking! Ahhhh! What’s happening! Ah…”

Mr. Yan shoved the panicking group aside and approached the source of the commotion. His pupils constricted when he saw what was on the ground. Even Lei Jie and Zhen Mu were in a cold sweat. 

A piece of human skin in a set of clothes was lying on the ground!

And the clothes definitely belonged to Tiezi!

“Tiezi…… is dead….!”

“What happened before this?! Did no one see what happened? How on earth did he get like this?!” Mr. Yan roared at the frozen Chunlei standing beside him. The others subconsciously moved away from the emptied human skin.

Chunlei frantically said: “I… I don’t know. We were just standing next to each other a moment ago, looking at the wall. My… my stomach, why is it so hot? My throat… I… arrr…” 

His eyes widened in extreme desperation to open his mouth, gasping for air through his throat but in an instant, in front of everyone’s eyes, his body flopped down as his insides disappeared, leaving behind a rug of human skin…

Chapter 29

At night, the dozen or so tomb raiders prepared to enter the previously excavated passage to the underground tomb.

After letting down the rope, Zhen Mu and Xiao Li who were in the front threw in several flares. The weak light fell straight down and a faint sound could only be heard after a relatively long time. The people above ground looked down and saw a tiny dot of light.

“My god, how deep is this?”

“Under here is a thousand-year-old palace that spans this entire mountain range. Imagine the depths of such a magnificent building.”

For easy access, the hold was not dug vertically down and hence the view below was mostly blocked. Peeking into the deep tunnel, Zhen Hao’s excitement was unrestrained.

He urged the two men squatting beside him: “What are we still doing here?! Get down there quick!”

Xiao Li smiled at him and remained in place until Mr. Yan gave him a nod. He said: “Alright! I’m going.” He then strapped himself and slowly slid down the rope.

When it was Zhen Mu’s turn, Zhen Bei grabbed him and put something in his hand: “Brother, this is for you.”

Zhen Mu was briefly surprised as he looked at the small sachet in his hand: “What is this?”

“Lucky amulet.” Zhen Bei said with a smile: “I especially went to have it blessed.” 

Zhen Mu was touched with the small lucky charm and his eyes were filled with warmth. He rubbed Zhen Bei’s head, “Thank you Xiao Bei.”

“You’re welcome!”

When Zhen Mu began his descent, Zhen Bei squatted at the entrance with a worried look.

“Hey, you gave Zhen Mu an amulet but not to your big brother?” Zhen Hao looked down at Zhen Bei and asked with a smirk.

Zhen Bei raised his head and anxiously said: “No, no. I brought one for you too! Look!” He took out several small bags from his pocket, “I worry for both of you. Big brother, you also have to come back safely.”

He held the straps sewn to the sachet and intended to attach it on Zhen Hao.

As Zhen Hao looked at the grey sachet and Zhen Bei closing in with his idiotic smile, he slapped his hand away in disgust.

With a pa sound, Zhen Bei’s backhand was reddish and the sachet fell to the ground. Mr. Yan glanced at the scene coldly and turned back to stare at the cave while his subordinates scoffed with malice.

“This thing, it’s better for you to keep it.” It’s grey and dirty with unknown origins!

“Oh…” Zhen Bei lowered his head sadly like a kicked golden retriever. He bent to pick up the sachet but another hand picked it up for him.

It was Xiao Luo who could not standby and look any longer. He handed the sachet to Zhen Bei and whispered: “Don’t be upset by your stupid big brother. You should keep it for yourself.”

“Thank you,” Zhen Bei shyly smiled, and instead of taking it back, he pushed it to Xiao Luo, “You take it, it’ll definitely keep you safe!”

Xiao Luo laughed and nodded. He placed the item into his chest pocket and gave it a tap.

“Thank you, I’ll keep it with me.”

“En!” Zhen Bei nodded happily.

Zhen Hao stared at them coldly and rolled his eyes, “Idiots.”

The small incident was quickly cast aside when two high pitched whistles were heard from the ground. 

The man with the facial paralysis smiled awkwardly. “It’s ready! Let’s go.” His group dropped what they were doing and one by one, slipped down the rope promptly, leaving Zhen Hao behind. 

After Zhen Hao finally made it down, only then did Lei Jia signaled Xiao Luo to follow suit and she after. The last person to leave was Zhen Bei.

He stood at the entrance and looked down with cold eyes as a ghastly smile filled his face. Ashui who was made to stay above ground inadvertently saw this sinister look but in the blink of an eye, it was switched back to the airheaded face!

Thinking he was somewhat unnerved by the big fool, Ashui kicked Zhen Bei’s ass angrily, “What are you standing there for?! Get down there you big fool!”

Zhen Bei staggered and looked back at him with a scared and silly smile: “Sorry, I’m still a little scared. Ha ha. I’ll go now.”

Seeing Zhen Bei’s hesitation and his anxious look, Ashui eased up a little and murmured a few dirty words while he checked the rope. After assuring everything was fine, he went back to the tent and took a nap.

…..

Deep inside the large expanse where looking up would give a feeling of being in another world, a giant stone gate stood in front of the group, seemingly connecting heaven and earth.

They gawked in front of the majestic gateway as if it was the Wailing Wall, unable to see the top even with their necks stretched upwards. A sense of awe and unease crept in and even the timid ones were eager to stop and observe.

“This… this is the thousand years mausoleum of legends?” Zhen Hao’s hands were shaking as he stared fixedly at the stone gate and touching the carvings on it.

Mr. Yan behind him was holding his breath and even Zhen Bei and Zhen Mu who had been here before were still filled with wonder when they looked at the stone gate.

“How the hell did they construct this? It’s freaking high… can all ancient people fly?” Chunlei asked Tiezi with his mouth gaping.

Tiezi rolled his eyes. He looked firmly at Mr. Yan, waiting for his instructions.

“There’s only a giant door here and yet I’m feeling oppressed. Inside… it won’t get easier, would it?”

“Hey! If you’re scared then go back. When it’s time to split the haul, there won’t be any for you!”

“Get lost! That’s not what I meant!”

The group of men joked as they were about to unveil a mystery. Lei Jie, on the other hand, was pinching her apprentice’s hand tightly with eyes staring straight at the door!

Xiao Luo gritted his teeth in pain: “…Shibo, we’re not inside the door yet and you’re using me as a sacrifice?”

Lei Jie calmed herself and released his arm. She slapped him on the back of his head: “Shut up! Sacrificing a close one to heaven does give immense power. Careful or I’ll really burn you!”

“Let’s go…Let’s go in!” On a rare occasion, Mr. Yan waved at the group with excitement. One by one, they crept through the hole drilled by Zhen Mu the last time he was here.

Walking in the front were Zhen Mu and Xiao Li with one hand holding the flashlight and the other firmly on their weapons. Zhen Hao and the others were following closely behind.

Xiao Luo asked Lei Jie in whispers: “Shibo, did we just enter the gate to the tomb palace? Why does it feel easy?”

Lei Jie sneered: “Gate to the palace? Ai, what you just walked through was like the city gate. Besides, there were so many who had passed through here before, there shouldn’t be any mishap. And I’m sure many died just so we can have a safe passage now. You’re probably stepping on their bones right now.”

“…..” Xiao Luo kept his mouth shut but his eyes were alert. At this moment, the skinny youth began to show a sword-like sharpness in his eyes.

After their silhouette disappeared into the dark and empty stone path, somewhere in the shadows, a water-like pillar rose from the ground. It began to shapeshift into two transparent humanoids.

The two hurdled together as they murmured.

“Did you smell which of them carry the scent Mu Yi was talking about?”

“I did. There’s a total of three.”

“Is it the one in the front with the sword, the tall and thin one, and the short melon next to the woman?” 

“No, no. He’s not a melon, he’s a bean sprout. He’s not fat.”

“Yes yes, Mu Shi is so smart~”

“Hee hee, Mu Jiu is also very smart~”

“What about the rest?”

“We kill them of course!”

The two jelly-like entities shifted back to a transparent liquid and seeped into the walls.

…..

Petals fell under the ever-blooming Peach Blossom tree like sparkling stars floating down. In this abyss stood a platform where a blossoming tree and a red coffin endowed a beautiful love story.

And beneath the tree was the protagonist of that beautiful story… barbecuing a piece of meat.

Here’s the thing, ever since Wang Xiao Mie knew that his Kai Ming could emit heat, a brilliant idea popped up. He gathered the vacuum-sealed beef and lunch meat, washed Kai Ming cleanly, and let Wen Feng Jin hold it.

Seeing Kai Ming turning increasingly hot, Wang Xiao Mie’s eyes twinkled and an evil grin bloomed across his face.

With a sizzling sound, a piece of meat was placed on the body of Kai Ming.

Wen Feng Jin: “…..” For a moment there, I actually felt sympathy towards a dagger.

Wang Xiao Mie used a pair of self-made chopsticks to pick up the piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

Yum! What a great smell!

He did not neglect feeding Wen Feng Jin as well. Wen Feng Jin with his soft and beautiful face, gently open his mouth to be fed.

Feeling the incredible heat even through the thick cloth, Wen Feng Jin felt as though he was eating his own conscience.

And Wang Xiao Mie with his inquiries was not helping: “Aiya, look at Kai Ming, it’s heated to the point I can cook with it! Tell me, how many bad things have you done?”

“…..”

“…..”

Both: How can there be such a shameless person on this planet!

Wen Feng Jin looked at his puppy of a Shixiong and for the first time thought that he was quite outrageous!

Kai Ming: …… I’m going to blow up this couple!

After the meat was gone, Wang Xiao Mie threw his chopsticks along with the emptied cans and packaging. With a smug, he reclaimed Kai Ming and began wiping off the oil stains on it carefully. In his hand, Kai Ming had slowly cooled down.

“You’re such a useful little thing~” Wang Xiao Mie stroked the dagger adoringly.

Kai Ming hummed, as though giving Wang Xiao Mie a dog bark.

Wen Feng Jin smiled as he watched Wang Xiao Mie. 

He then looked in a certain direction and the smile on his face suddenly changed. That was the outermost area where the graverobbers were situated, which was also protected by Mu Shi and Mu Jiu. 

It’s better not to kill on the first day. What if they give up and leave? Wen Feng Jin dropped his head to hide his sinister laughter.

“Xiao Mie.”

“Ha?”

Wen Feng Jin’s eyes soothed: “It’s time for us to sleep.”

Chapter 28

On the morning of the fifth day, in the quiet mist-covered barren mountains, a group of people was setting up a tent on the wild overgrown grass. Boxes of equipment were being transported and put into place.

A thin and weak looking youth was meticulously spraying insect repellent powder around their living quarters. He turned back and saw his Shibo her highness sitting on a stone and leisurely using a cloth to wipe a short and flat point sword.

“Shibo, it’s so hot out here, why don’t you go inside the tent?”

“This tent is too green.” The woman admired the weapon in her hand and answered absentmindedly.

The youth choked a little then sighed: “Shibo, just say so if you don’t want to go in with them. This is a green tent, not a green hat. You still have to sleep in it at night.”

The woman glared at him: “How dare you bicker with me. Is it because I haven’t given you a beating in a while that your head’s filled with grease?! Listen well, stinky boy, except for Zhen Mu that simpleton, do not believe anyone else, they’re all living ghosts that are capable of swallowing you.”

The young man named Xiao Luo respectfully nodded and happily replied: “I understand. Other than Zhen Mu and Zhen Bei, and also Shibo, I will not be bothered with anyone else.”

“Not Zhen Mu and Zhen Bei, only Zhen Mu.”

“Ha? Why?” Xiao Luo was surprised.

The woman squinted: “That kid Zhen Bei…. I always feel that he’s evil.”

Xiao Luo scratched his head and thought: Ai, this is probably a woman’s sixth sense. Even so, he treated her words with importance. After being taught by her for so many years, he trusted her the most.

With that, he packed their secret insect repellent powder and went back to the tent to check their equipment.

As for the woman, once she saw Zhen Mu coming out of the tent with his bronze sword, she beamed brilliantly: “Zhen Mu! Second son of the Zhen family! Come, come! We haven’t seen each other for so long yet you don’t even come and say hi. Here, let me check your Chang Feng!”

Zhen Mu was a little evasive towards the woman but hearing her request of checking his weapon, he came forward with a straight face and greeted softly: “Lei Jie.” (TN: jie is a form of address towards an older female. I’ll be referring to her as Lei Jie instead of sister Lei.)

Lei Jie had a wide grin on her face as she cast aside the knife in her hand and took over the bronze sword from Zhen Mu. She carefully stroked the body of the sword named Chang Feng.

Lei Jie’s family had been swordsmiths for many generations. The craftsmen in the family were all crazy about creating the perfect sword to the point of sacrificing everything else. This was also the reason for her fascination with ancient weapons and why she joined this particular line of work.

“Long time no see, and you’re still beautiful as ever…” Lei Jie said tenderly to the sword. Its masters’ love did not cause the sword to become weak, its blade remained sharp as it had always been even after so many years. Lei Jie was only given the chance to repair it twice and if it wasn’t for Zhen Mu’s unwillingness to part with his beloved sword and that he had saved her disciple, she would have tried to get it from him at any price!

Lei Jie took her cloth and carefully wiped the sword, cleaning every nook and cranny. As her special cloth slid along the edge, a light buzzing sound could be heard from the friction.

Zhen Mu sat quietly on the boulder beside her as she admired the sword.

After some time, she asked: “Your family’s eldest son Zhen Hao…. Did he receive some kind of injury when he was young?”

Surprise sprang up on Zhen Mu’s sharp and handsome face. He earnestly recalled and said: “That shouldn’t be.”

Lei Jie let out an oh and said: “Then why is it that I find him stupid?”

Zhen Mu: “…..”

Lei Jie squinted as she carefully observed the sword while saying: “I’ve always been straightforward, don’t mind my rudeness. I’m an old lady and maybe my eyesight is getting worst but everyone in the circle knows how treacherous that old dog Yan can be. He can swallow your brother whole and not even spit out his bones. Not to mention his lawless and unruly underlings. Your brother is so stupid that he gives the man everything. The way I see it, sooner or later he’s bound to be killed!”

“And that rotten luck mother of yours still wants you to protect him. Are you sure you can do that? It’s already a big fortune if you can get out of there alive.”

Zhen Mu grimaced in silence before saying: “I know you’re looking out for me, thank you Lei Jie.”

“Tsk.” Lei Jie knew he had wood for brains and did not say much. She handed back Chang Feng to him with much hesitation and said: “Advice is not well received by those who deserved to die. Also, beware of that little brother of yours.”

As swordsmiths, they were very sensitive to the sharpness and auras of weapons, the same goes to people.

“My little brother…” Zhen Mu shook his head, “My little brother is a good kid. Lei Jie, you’re overthinking. And one more thing, if something happened to me, you can have this sword but please look after my brother and get him out. Please?”

Lei Jie gazed up and down at him: “Ai Yo, what are you talking about. I wasn’t trying to drive a wedge between anyone. Besides, if you can’t even survive then how am I capable of saving your brother?”

Zhen Mu smiled: “Lei Jie, others may not know it but I’m fully aware of your skills. And also your sole purpose here is for those famed weapons, not the treasures, there’s no lost trust between us.”

Lei Jie glanced at him then at the Chang Feng sword in his hand. In the end, she listlessly gave him her word.

“Ai~ If I could so much as peek at Liao Yue sword and Kai Ming this time, I’ll gladly die in there!”

Having received her promise, Zhen Mu also smiled with relief.

In the tent, Zhen Hao was sitting motionlessly while fanning himself with a fan. He had his eyes half-closed as he listened to Mr. Yan giving out instructions.

“Xiao Li, you have good martial arts, you’ll stay in the front with Zhen Mu. If you sense anything wrong, send a signal to retreat.”

“Understood.”

“Tiezi and Chunlei, you’ll be protecting Mr. Zhen.”

The two named Tiezi and Chunlei nodded with a smile and said: “Don’t worry, brother Yan.”

“Finally, I’ll tell you the positions to avoid the traps. One more person will stay above ground just in case. Ah Shui, you’ll stay here.”

“Ok.”

“Oh right, what about that woman and her apprentice?” Zhen Hao opened his frowning eyes and asked.

The man’s face remained expressionless: “They will follow us down. That woman and her apprentice are powerful. Just let them do whatever they want. Regardless, they still have to follow our instructions for safety.”

“Alright.” Zhen Hao reluctantly nodded.

…..

Underground

Wen Feng Jin treated Mu Yi in front of him like the former subordinate of many years ago as he gave out orders.

“If you can’t tell your opponent’s strengths, feel free to test them out or just kill them. But Mu Yi, remember this, those bearing the scent as the person before are not to be killed. Absolutely not, understood?”

Click click click. Mu Yi made sounds from his throat, indicating he had understood. The few monsters behind him did the same.

“Very good.” Wen Feng Jin nodded with satisfaction, “Go on to your respective position. And remember my words.”

The troop of ferocious-looking monsters turned and in a flash, disappeared into the tomb’s passageway. When he turned back, Wang Xiao Mie was standing behind him.

“Xiao Mie?” Wen Feng Jin froze for a second. He lowered his face, then looked up with a smile, “How long have you been here? I didn’t hear you come in.”

Wang Xiao Mie rubbed his sleepy eyes: “I only just came. I woke up and didn’t see you so I came here to look. Mu Yi and the others already left? What did you tell them to do?”

Wen Feng Jin narrowed his eyes and went up to Wang Xiao Mie, pulling away his hand that was rubbing his eyes. He gently used his thumb to rub his eyes for him.

“Don’t rub so hard, it’ll hurt your eye.”

“Oh~” Wang Xiao Mie did not mind Wen Feng Jin not answering the question. He stood with his hands hanging and chin raised, obediently allowing himself to be wiped.

“If I’m not wrong, they will come down here tonight to scout but won’t go too far in. You have to carry your dagger at all times.”

“I know.” Wang Xiao Mie turned his head and slowly opened his eyes, feeling much better. He reached into his clothes and pulled out the dagger. The weapon was simple in design and black in color. There were no intricate carvings and only the words ‘Kai Ming’ was etched on the handle. 

“I always have it on me.”

Wen Feng Jin took back his hand and slowly walked him back.

Wang Xiao Mie waved his dagger and sighed: “Tell me, what’s the use of this thing? It’s sooo short. An inch shorter, an inch more dangerous. This will be the death of me. The attacker is already at my throat and I can’t even reach his stomach.”

(TN: What he meant is that because the weapon is short, he had to get closer to the opponent to kill him, making it more dangerous)

Wen Feng Jin chuckled and explained to him: “This Kai Ming dagger is considered a godly weapon back in those days. It was forged by a master swordsman and later, passed on to an assassin to kill a tyrant king. Because it carried the hope of getting rid of tyrants and opening up the world, it was given the name Kai Ming. This dagger is extremely sharp. It is capable of cutting through heavenly soldiers and has killed countless cold-blooded kings and nobles. As long as it senses an evil person close by, it will give off heat as a warning.”

“Ha? It’s that incredible?!” Wang Xiao Mie immediately saw the dagger in a new light. Its black color was like a soothing design choice and even the tiny scratches were proof that it had been through many battles.

He suddenly thought of something and asked Wen Feng Jin: “You said it will turn hot when it’s near bad people. You’re by my side now and nothing’s happening! Are you lying to me?!”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..Shixiong, I’m actually a good person.”

“…..” Wang Xiao Mie was speechless.

He eyed Wen Feng Jin from head to toe in his black and red robe. Wen Feng Jin unconsciously tried to paint himself in a gentle light with a smile but with his black eyes and the scarlet mark on his forehead, the smile only added a touch of evil to his perfect villain appearance.

“…..tell me the truth.” Wang Xiao Mie pressed the dagger to his chest.

“…..” Wen Feng Jin stood his ground, “I’m a good man. Look, even Kai Ming approves.”

The dagger touching his chest gave out a hum…..it was turning hot.

“…..”

“…..”

Wang Xiao Mie looked away from Wen Feng Jin. The devil’s face was too beautiful, he dared not look.

“I’ll say this again, tell me the truth.”

The mesmerizing boss Wen finally gave in to Wang Xiao Mie’s questioning and told him the truth.

“Alright…..” 

“When I first got hold of Kai Ming many years ago, I was quite intrigued by it. For fun, I would keep it on me through the winter…..for warmth.”

Kai Ming, the legendary dagger, was becoming increasingly hot as if crying out to Wang Xiao Mie, telling him its grievance of after being used as a portable heater for so many years, it was too lazy to produce heat in Wen Feng Jin’s presence and could only cry silent tears.

Chapter 27

Underground

Wang Xiao Mie stood at the entrance of one of the halls with his sleeves rolled up. He looked at the mound of gold flowing past the door not with joy but annoyance.

With utmost seriousness, he began dog-paddling through them.

All the gems and gold were brushed aside. What he needed now were weapons!

“Xiao Wenzi, come help me quickly!”

Wen Feng Jin came along and saw his sweet little dumpling jutting out his butt and digging into the ‘soil’. The corner of his mouth hooked, “Xiao Mie, don’t lift your butt so high.”

Wang Xiao Mie turned and glared at him with black lines coming down his face: “Stop being a hooligan. Come and help me. Which big boss in the movies doesn’t carry a weapon? Our tomb is going to be dug up in two days and yet you’re being too carefree.”

“You and I cannot leave the tomb palace, so the only thing we can do is stay here and wait.” Wen Feng Jin said so but he still lifted his sleeves and joined the search.

“But we have to at least be prepared. What if you can’t beat them?”

“Then there’s still Shixiong you.” Wen Feng Jin said with a smile.

“How can I be of service? Do you want me to dial the cops or call the ambulance?” Wang Xiao Mie continued to bury his head into the treasure heap. His eyes suddenly lit up as he pulled out a little undershirt made of gold thread???

“What the hell is this?! You even collect people’s undergarment? This is insane! Did you strip the person of his clothes to get this just because it’s made of gold?!”

Wen Feng Jin stayed silent for a while before saying: “Xiao Mie, that’s a golden light armor.”

Wang Xiao Mie: “…..”

Gold… golden armor? The super incredible armor that can withstand bullets and knives? He folded the vest and added it to his pouch.

Ke, keke, I’m keeping it.

A somewhat embarrassed Wang Xiao Mie continued dog-paddling through the treasures. “Ai ya, so many good items and weapons, why didn’t you keep them separately in a different hall? Now they’re lumped together with ordinary jewelry and we have to scour through them.”

Wen Feng Jin pinched his forehead and sighed: “Xiao Mie…”

“Ah?” Wang Xiao Mie looked at him with wet puppy eyes.

“Did you forget that you were the one who used the weapon display as a clothes hanger? You also changed the weapon storeroom into the clothes drying room.” Wen Feng Jin lowered his head and looked at him, “Those weapons were thrown here by MuYi at your request…”

“…..”

Wang Xiao Mie remembered his past behavior with little remorse. He looked at Wen Feng Jin with a grin.

“I did that! So what? Are you gonna get fierce with me?! Wan Wan Wan!!!” He was unrepentant with an arrogant and ferocious attitude that made even the big Boss Wen itch.

Wen Feng Jin: “…..” My family’s little dumpling likes to make dog’s sounds, what should I do? It’s actually quite cute, can I do him? After doing it will he get better?

Facing the fuming and ‘cute to the point I want to have *cough*’ Wang Xiao Mie, Boss Wen decided to bow down to him and quietly accompany him to scavenge.

After a few minutes of metal crashing sounds, someone asked a question: “My Liao Yue sword…”

“Why are you so petty! I will dig it up for you in a moment! Hmph!” 

“…..”

Even with the additional help of Mu Yi, they toiled away the whole day before finally assembling back all the precious weapons into the weapon storeroom.

Sitting on the smooth stone floor, Wang Xiao Mie was exhausted to the point that he simply laid on the ground. Wen Feng Jin was leaning against a pillar with droopy eyes, clearly, he had also used up quite an amount of effort.

As for the poor Mu Yi, he did not even have the strength to latch himself on the wall. The big lizard fell to the ground with his tongue sticking out. Without his heavy breathing, Wang Xiao Mie would’ve thought the thing had killed itself.

After taking a break, Wang Xiao Mie sat up and looked wearingly at Wen Feng Jin: “That should be all of them, right…”

Wen Feng Jin nodded: “Most of it. There are probably several buried further down but these should enough….Xiao Mie, I said you don’t have to worry about anything, I’ll think of a way to deal with those graverobbers.”

“I know, I know.” Wang Xiao Mie put his hand on Mu Yi’s grotesque head and patted it like a dog. The hideous Mu Yi was trying to act cute by whining coquettishly. “I just want to cover all my grounds. It’s better if I don’t know when they are coming. Now that I know, every day feels like a countdown to my end. And I keep having a very bad premonition…”

As the day approached, the unrest in his heart was getting stronger.

Wen Feng Jin’s eyes stayed on him: “Xiao Mie…”

Wang Xiao Mie interrupted his words and said with a smile: “I get it. I don’t doubt what you’re going to do or that you can’t handle this. I’m just worried about the man Zhen Bei mentioned. A person who’s able to say that he wants to eat your heart must have something to back his words.”

He had a nightmare the previous night. He dreamt that Wen Feng Jin was captured and had his heart ripped off. The bloody scene shocked him awake. His hands kept shaking for a long time until he felt the familiar embrace, only then did he calm down.

Wen Feng Jin came up to him and knelt down on one knee. He placed his palm on Wang Xiao Mie’s cheek and gently rubbed the corner of his eye.

“Don’t worry about me, I don’t age or die, no matter what, I will live.”

Wang Xiao Mie dropped his head, “Even if you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you don’t have a weakness. Can your heart grow back after being torn off?”

Wen Feng Jin smiled. When his large black pupils fully reflected the face of his beloved, he said: “I’m a little happy.”

“Happy with what? That someone else wants your heart?” Wang Xiao Mie looked up and stared at him.

Wen Feng Jin laughed softly, “I’m happy that you care about me and worried for my sake.”

After doing the things that I did, I dared not dream that you would once again give me this warmth.

“With this, I’m more determined not to let them have the upper hand.” Wen Feng Jin gently took Wang Xiao Mie into his arms. Feeling the strong embrace and reciprocation of emotions from Wang Xiao Mie, he sighed with bliss.

His eyes closed and his smile deepened.

Finally….. finally, there comes a day that my wish is fulfilled…

No one can stop me from being with you. Whoever dares get in our way, I will give him a life worse than death!

…..

The Zhen House

In the age-old solemn mansion, several individuals with diverse characteristics sat in groups at the reception hall. They carried themselves with grace and politeness but none would give anyone else a second glance.

On the patriarch seat were the Zhen family head and his wife. On his left were Zhen Hao and the masked man, on his right were Zhen Mu and Zhen Bei.

(TN: I forgot to talk about the three brother’s names. Zhen Bei, as mentioned, sounds like the word bad luck. Zhen Mu (木=wood) refers to someone who’s dense, quite alike his personality. And Zhen Hao, which sounds like 真好, meaning great or wonderful.)

“Everyone here is an expert in the same circle. Your presence gives us great honor and we’ll never forget this debt. And you, Mr. Yan, my son Zhen Hao had mentioned you many times to me.”

The Zhen patriarch looked at the man next to Zhen Hao. He showed no expression and only nodded slightly.

He was told that the man received a fatal wound a long time ago and now was not able to show any expression on his face. Thus, he dismissed his discourtesy and continued his speech.

The other tomb robbers were still very respectful towards their big sponsor and listened quietly. A brazen woman who brought along a young man of twenty-something glanced at Zhen Mu with a smile.

Zhen Mu titled his head in avoidance when he felt the laser-beam eyes aiming at him. 

The woman snickered and began to fiddle with her fingers in boredom. The young lad behind her stared at his mentor with a helpless sigh.

As the meeting was about to end, Madame Zhen who had been quiet suddenly spoke with some sadness in her tone: “Zhen Mu, Zhen Bei.”

Zhen Mu and Zhen Bei looked at her.

Madame Zhen said: “I can’t stop your brother from wanting to go underground. I have no idea why he insisted on going to such a dangerous place but Zhen Mu, you’re used to that kind of job, make sure to take care of him when you’re there, do you hear me?”

Zhen Mu lowered his eyes. Under the fiery visage was actually a calm and gentle soul. Even under his mother’s obviously biased instructions, he still nodded with grace.

Seeing that Zhen Mu had agreed, Madame Zhen smiled with satisfaction. She had absolute trust in the second son’s abilities.

“And Zhen Bei.” When she saw Zhen Bei’s simpleton smile, she frowned and reproached him: “Look at your silly appearance! You’re so old and still had to rely on your big brother! Don’t give your big brother any trouble when you’re in the tomb, got it?”

Zhen Bei shrunk back and Zhen Mu was a little upset. In a rare occurrence, he spoke against her: “Mother, Zhen Bei is not stupid. He’s been a sincere child since birth, don’t keep reprimanding him.”

“You!”

“Alright! Alright!” The Zhen patriarch interrupted his wife who was fuming, “We’re talking about serious business here! You’re getting off-topic and making the guests look at us as a joke!”

Madame Zhen snorted and turned her head. Zhen Hao then comforted his mother by saying: “Mother, I know you’re worried about us but father is right. I’ll accompany you for a while before I leave.”

Madame Zhen smiled again and the Zhen patriarch eased up after hearing his favorite son’s words. He exchanged a few pleasantries before leading his wife away.

The man with the facial paralysis known as Mr. Yan gestured to everyone to gather around him. He and Zhen Hao then relayed the plan to them, assigned tasks, and what to prepare when they go underground.

The group hurdled and discussed, deliberately disregarding Zhen Bei and Zhen Mu.

Zhen Bei twitched his brows and whispered to Zhen Mu: “Second brother, don’t you think that Zhen Hao is quite unwise? Although all these people are skillful, they’re not affiliated with us. And with Zhen Hao isolating us on purpose, if that jerkface Yan betrayed him, the three of us are done for.”

Zhen Mu eyed the contemptuous Zhen Hao smiling in the crowd. When Zhen Hao saw him looking over, he smirked and looked back at them with disdain.

Zhen Mu drooped his eyes. He patted the back of Zhen Bei’s head with his scarred hand.

“It’s ok, brother will protect you. You’re my first priority.”

Zhen Bei flashed a brilliant smile and nodded with an oomph.

He looked at Zhen Hao and Zhen Hao mouthed the word “idiot” at him.

Zhen Bei kept smiling and scratched his head as if he was clueless while Zhen Hao laughed at himself for being bothered with a fool.

The time of departure was soon fixed and the supplies and equipment would be arriving right on schedule. 

Back underground

Wen Feng Jin was leaning against the sacred tree with his arms folded. He smiled sweetly at Wang Xiao Mie who was playing with a short and sharp dagger.

“Xiao Mie, compared to this dagger, I think you should use the other one.” Said Wen Feng Jin.

Wang Xiao Mie looked at the dagger in his hand that shined like snow and the black and rusty one on the ground, “No matter how you look at it, this one has got to be more powerful!”

“The grade of a blade is not determined by how shiny it is. Only decorative blades are clean and shiny, this is called ‘zei guan’. The truth is, real weapons are heavy and strong which sometimes makes them seem dull but they have incredible cutting prowess and only after being used for a long time will their ‘bao guan’ appear. The only exception is the sword.”

(TN: zei guan 贼光, direct translation is probably trick light, it usually used in ceramics and refers to a piece that is more modern and its shine is different from those of aged ones which tend to have bao guan 宝光, meaning a precious shine. I’m not fully knowledgeable with this aspect so please correct me if I’m wrong)

“Oh, I see.” The illiterate Wang Xiao Mie looked at the dagger imbued with jewels and the word gaudy flashed all over it.

He then picked up the black and rusted dagger on the ground and continued slashing at thin air with it. Like a puppy baring its fangs, he practiced as if he was ready to go all out against the group of intruders!

Wen Feng Jin slowly raised his hand and covered his giggling mouth. 

Nai xiong, nai xiong, Shixiong…. 

(TN: Nai xiong is describing something small and cute, like a baby animal, trying to act tough which rhymes with Shixiong. I don’t know how to translate this sentence to make it rhyme and sound cute as the author intended so I’m leaving it as it is)

Chapter 26

Ever since Zhen Bei’s visit, Wang Xiao Mie had discovered a super fun hobby.

Wang Xiao Mie: “Wow, Zhen Bei is such a great guy! I think…”

Wen Feng Jin bit his lips as his face turned blue.

Wang Xiao Mie: “What do you say if we have a kid like Zhen Bei…”

Wen Feng Jin clenched his jaws and his larynx shifted up and down.

Wang Xiao Mie: “If we—hmmm hmmm!”

Wen Feng Jin was blocking his mouth. After calming down, he said: “Xiao Mie … stop talking.”

Wang Xiao Mie came out of his arms grinning despicably.

“If you don’t tell me why you hate Zhen Bei, I will keep talking!”

Wen Feng Jin had a hatred for Zhen Bei was something Wang Xiao Mie discovered yesterday. Otherwise, there was no reason for his disgusted look at the mention of his name. But the two of them had no prior encounter apart from the two times they met inside the tomb. Why would Xiao Wenzi have such a reaction? Wang Xiao Mie was itching all over with curiosity. 

But no matter what method he used, not excluding *cough* seduction, Wen Feng Jin refused to tell him anything.

Looking at his lover with the twinkle in his eyes saying ‘I’m dying of curiosity’, Wen Feng Jin’s mood was lifted. The deep disgust for that person had turned into somewhat of a humorous prank on his beloved. After keeping quiet for a while, he said: “Xiao Mie, stay away from him. He’s definitely not as simple as you think.”

“But if you don’t tell me what’s wrong with him how am I supposed to know if he’s good or bad!” Wang Xiao Mie rolled his eyes.

“You really want to know?”

“Of course!”

“Come here.”

Wen Feng Jin was sitting leisurely under the sacred tree with one leg bent. He raised his hand and gestured Wang Xiao Mie over.

Wang Xiao Mie sat down next to him and leaned into his embrace. Wen Feng Jin wrapped his arms around him and in a disgusted tone, began telling the story of a hardworking boss trying to resurrect his love when somehow from somewhere there was always someone coming to knock on his door screaming “Time to die, Demon Lord!!”.

And the most persistent of them had left an unforgettable psychological shadow on Wen Feng Jin.

“In total, I’ve killed him twenty-nine times. Threw him down a cliff six times, pierced through his heart seven times, destroyed every meridian on his body ten times, and several times, I was so close to cutting his head off.”

“But it was all useless. After falling down the cliff, he would always discover a hidden treasure or secret. After stabbing his heart seven times, I discovered that his heart was on the right side. After his meridians were destroyed, there would always be reclusive all-knowing physicians to help him recover. After that, every time we met I would try to kill him with a fatal wound… but it was useless.”

“No matter what I did, he would always meet up with some miracle and come back for me over and over again.”

Speaking of this, Wen Feng Jin bit his lips as a nauseous sensation swelled.

Even Wang Xiao Mie was creeped out with goosebumps popping up all over his body.

WTF!

Isn’t this a protagonist halo?! And it’s not even a regular one, it’s eight levels of VIP! It can’t even be considered a halo anymore, he’s almost almighty!

No wonder even with Wen Feng Jin’s personality, he still found it hard to swallow. Opening the door to find the person he had killed reappearing in front of him time and again was indeed terrifying! This is worse than being haunted by a vengeful ghost!

A normal human would have been broken after coming close to death that many times but that man seemed to have no fear. It was like he was born to go up against Wen Feng Jin.

Wen Feng Jin said: “He doesn’t even seem human to me. More like a puppet from someone’s twisted creation. That thing would always smile regardless of the situation it was in, like a mindless freak who was only motivated by justice.”

“…..”

“And the human called Zhen Bei bares a lot of resemblance to that person. Even the nauseating smell was very much similar.”

“…..”

This new information stumped Wang Xiao Mie. It suddenly occurred to him that since he had been selected to educate Wen Feng Jin to be a person of high morality, then what happened after he failed his mission?

Could that person be a manifestation created by the system to kill Wen Feng Jin?! Damn!!!

This is too terrifying to think about …

“….but you still managed to get rid of him, that’s incredible.” Wang Xiao Mie said but Wen Feng Jin shook his head.

“I did not get to kill him even to the end.”

“Ha?! Then how are you…” alive and not been torn apart by him?

Wen Feng Jin smiled: “Because I don’t age or die. When I was only a hundred and fifty years old, his life span was already depleted.”

…..so you won by outliving him. Wang Xiao Mie remembered an interesting snippet he read somewhere: the old lady with a cigarette in her hand said: “The doctors who advised me to quit smoking are all dead!”

That was… an anti-climatic ending, sigh…

“But Xiao Wenzi, what did you do after my death…” That made the system send me back to your childhood to straighten you up and after that failed, sent a death-defying protagonist to kill and sicken you.

Wang Xiao Mie looked at Wen Feng Jin curiously.

Wen Feng Jin froze for a second then turned to him and said with an innocent smile: “I don’t know, all I did was find ways to resurrect you.”

Yeah right~ in addition to that, he also orchestrated mass killings of the entire sects, affiliated sects, clans, and tribes~ and finally, enshrouded the whole Northern Empire in darkness and tyranny for a hundred years before settling down underground! Wink~

“…..”

Wang Xiao Mie who kicked the bucket when he failed the mission: I’d rather p**p upside down than believe you.

In essence, Wang Xiao Mie understood the gist of it. Wen Feng Jin was haunted by the protagonist with a bulked-up halo during those years which cast a psychological shadow in his heart. He did not hate Zhen Bei (Wen Feng Jin: No, I hate him) but only felt the similarities between him and the adversary he had faced many years ago, causing his head to throb. Like the saying once bitten twice shy.

With his curiosity satiated, Wang Xiao Mie yawned in comfort: “Zhen Bei said they will be coming to ransack our tomb in a week.”

Sigh, in what dimension are they living in that tomb robbers actually made an appointment before they come.

“Um.” Wen Feng Jin nodded like it was not an issue. He adjusted his posture to ensure Wang Xiao Mie’s comfort in his arms: “Why don’t you sleep for a while?”

“Ok… I am getting a little sleepy. Lately, I feel that my ‘charging tree’ is not as effective.” Wang Xiao Mie nodded.

Before, it was ‘charge for five minutes equals two hours of talk time’, now he had to sleep at least half a day.

“But they’re coming to raid the tomb.”

“Don’t worry, I already had this figured out.”

Wen Feng Jin smiled and held him firmly. The aromatic fragrance from the peach blossom enwrapped them, igniting warmth. Its petals sprinkled on their long black hair, creating a beautiful ornament.

The person in his arms had gone into a slumber. He had no heartbeat nor breathing, relying on the sacred tree to maintain his earthly look. In truth, he was already a corpse.

Slowly, blue and red veins emerged on the snow-white skin and a patch of discoloration appeared from his neck down.

Lividity was setting in.

The old man said before: “A corpse without a soul is fragile and cannot be cultivated. Even if it can move, it will still rot. It’s possible if you simply want to keep the body from decaying, but the Corpse Beads and Sacred Tree can only maintain his appearance, once he leaves…. If the tree managed to call back his soul and place it in this body, with luck, he might be able to wake up but won’t be able to move, but if luck forbids, his body and the Corpse Bead will turn into ashes along with his soul…”

“How to make this body ‘alive’ again?”

“You need a certain medicine.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s…”

Wen Feng Jin hummed softly an old tune of the Northern Empire. He placed the lifeless man whose face had now been covered with blood vessels on his leg. He loosened his collar and cut deep into his neck.

The bitter medicinal fragrance was mixed with the subtle sweet scent from the peach blossoms. The man in his arms opened his scarlet eyes and quickly buried his head into Wen Feng Jin’s neck and began to suck.

The ancient tunes sung in a hoarse voice drowned out the savage swallowing grunts.

As he was turning weak, Wen Feng Jin stopped humming and closed his eyes. The long and bony finger slowly interspersed into his lover’s long dark locks, gently combing through it.

After a while, the man in his arms regained his lively complexion.

The red ferocious eyes closed shut and he peacefully laid back in Wen Feng Jin’s arms. Wen Feng Jin wiped the bloodstains on his lips with his finger and used the back of his hand to feel his forehead.

“It’s alright, It’s fine now. When they enter the tomb, I will get what we need and we don’t have to stay underground anymore. You want the boundless sky or endless oceans, wherever you wish to go, I will accompany you…”

He eased his eyes and pasted the side of his cheek on Wang Xiao Mie’s forehead.

A red sinister glow began spreading from the iris of his strange eyes.

“I’m sorry Shixiong, I have to lie to you again. Those people, I will not let any of them live!”

…..

The Zhen House

As soon as Zhen Bei, with this backpack on, entered the old street leading to his ancestral home, he stopped, adjusted his expression, and pasted on a big and silly smile.

“Second brother!”

Behind the bright red gate was Zhen Mu standing by. He was dressed in close-fitting black clothes. The wind blew and ruffled his short black hair. After seeing Zhen Bei, the sharp eyebrows bent as he showed a gentle smile.

“Now you’re willing to come back? Where did you go without leaving a word? I told you not to go underground with those people and just stay at home to study the antiques.”

Zhen Bei smiled and said: “Aren’t you also the same? Besides, don’t we have big brother to appraise the antiques? I don’t have his talent so why waste the time?”

“Nonsense. You’re very talented as well.” Zhen Mu’s smile faded slightly, “I’ll be accompanying our big brother for the expedition in a few days so let’s have a meal together, we might not get the chance in the future.”

Zhen Bei narrowed his eyes and jabbed his brother at the chest, “Why are you talking like you’ll be gone forever?! But if we’re eating out, it’ll be your treat!”

Zhen Mu laughed helplessly. He raised his scar-filled hand and rubbed his little brother’s head.

“Stinky boy, when did I ever make you pay? Hm?”

“Haha! Second brother is the best!”

Zhen Mu accompanied him to greet everyone and they left the old and dark Zhen house in cheerful chit chat.

In the guest room.

A man was sitting on a wooden chair. His face was emotionless like the mask he was wearing. Accompanying him was a refined gentleman of roughly thirty-something but looked exceptionally young and graceful at first glance. That man was Zhen Hao.

“How certain are you?” Zhen Hao questioned the man about the map and characters embroidered on the silk brocade.

The man nodded: “Worry not. Whether this map is authentic or not, I’m sure you can tell. The pieces in their possessions are all fake, the only genuine piece is this one which was left to me by my master.”

“Your two younger brothers had managed to enter the place and came back alive with the fish pearls. And if he wasn’t lying and the two tomb masters are conscious beings, then the legends are all true. There should be countless treasures buried in there. With my group of men and your second brother, there absolutely will not be a problem. The main issues at hand are the traps and the monsters guarding the place. But with this map, we should be able to avoid those dangers.”

“You’ve had the first-hand experience with what the fish pearls could do.”

“And there are other artifacts you have never heard of or only seen in ancient scriptures. Most of which are tens of thousands of times more precious than the fish pearls and they are all waiting for you inside that tomb… Don’t you wish to see them?” The expressionless man hooked his lips.

Hearing this, Zhen Hao clasped his hands. Joy filled his eyes as he said: “Let’s get ready, we’ll leave as soon as possible.”

The man nodded with satisfaction, “By the way, take both your brothers with us. They won’t betray us, will they?” In the face of wealth, even father and son would turn against each other not to mention siblings!

Zhen Hao snorted: “Don’t worry. They’re all my dogs. Very obedient.”

The man took back the silk map and gave him a brief glance.

“Good for you…”

Chapter 25

“That’s insane!”

“En… and my purpose is quite simple. I don’t think that man is a good person and this tomb is not that easy to enter…” Not to mention the big monsters guarding the place, the man named Wen Feng Jin is almost like an immortalized demon! In their previous encounter, he did not even see his movement and before he knew it, he was almost killed!

Zhen Bei touched his neck and said to Wang Xiao Mie and Wen Feng Jin: “If you can, I hope you would spare my big brother on behalf of me coming here to inform you guys!”

Wen Feng Jin chuckled softly. He slowly approached Zhen Bei, making his face paler by the second. The eyes with the large dark pupils bent and asked with interest: “You want us to let him go?”

“That’s right.”

Right after replying, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a paralyzing and malicious pressure. Zhen Bei’s eyes widened as he gasped for air. Breathing was becoming strenuous let alone making any movement. His pupils turned to look at Wang Xiao Mie.

Wang Xiao Mie was not in any discomfort, instead, he was wondering why Zhen Bei had stopped moving all of a sudden.

Am I the only one affected?

Zhen Bei watched helplessly as Wen Feng Jin used his index finger to tap at a point one centimeter from his right eye.

“What makes you think that I will help you, hm?” Wen Feng Jin in red clothes and black hair was just like a sinister spirit! The pressure around him was getting tighter and Zhen Bei was close to being suffocated! At this time, Wen Feng Jin used a voice that could only be heard by the two of them. It snorted and with disgust, said: “And the truth is, you don’t want me to spare your brother at all, am I right?”

Zhen Bei kept his painful expression and looked at Wen Feng Jin with confusion in his eyes.

“What… are… you…talking about? Cough!”

Wen Feng Jin’s face was emptied of expressions. “Gratitude? Tipping us off? Heh~ You do indeed want us to know this, but why? Let me guess…. Because the last you were here and saw my Shixiong, you found that he was just an ordinary person with too much kindness.”

“He was not the savage and bloodthirsty monster like the others in the tomb. On the contrary, he actually seemed weak….”

“And then you realized that you could even leave the tomb in one piece even after your encounter with me….”

“How can such a tomb master help you to kill…” Wen Feng Jin pointed right in the middle of his forehead. He raised his chin and said in a voice of frost: “You got worried that your brother might be able to leave here unscathed as well, which is why you came here to disclose their information to us. This way, I’ll pay extra attention to him and even if I don’t kill him, I won’t let him off without punishment either.”

“And when the time comes, a heavily injured person in this deserted underground is bound to be at the mercy of anyone…” Wen Feng Jin’s words were like the whispers of the devil, exposing the deepest and darkest secrets in a person’s heart. He then gave a wanton laugh of ridicule.

It was at this moment that the fear on Zhen Bei’s face faded like a tide. His face was turning blue due to suffocation but with much difficulty, he managed to force out some words: “You’re going to kill me in front of him…”

“Of course. The familiar smell from you makes me sick.” A red glow emerged in Wen Feng Jin’s peculiar pupils, “It will cause me a little trouble but even if I do kill you now, he won’t remember a thing tomorrow.”

He won’t remember? Why? Are the legends true? The master of this tomb has powers besides immortality?!

So that’s how it is…

Haha, that’s it…

“You can’t kill me! I know…” Zhen Bei quickly whispered something in a low voice, causing Wen Feng Jin’s pupils to constrict. 

“As long as you help me, I will send it to your doorstep!”

By now, Wang Xiao Mie had noticed something was not right. He frowned and put his hand on Wen Feng Jin’s shoulder: “Feng jin, what are you doing?”

In a flash, the scarlet hue in Wen Feng Jin’s eyes dissipated and the oppressive force around Zhen Bei was also lifted. He fell to the ground, covered his throat, and started coughing and gasping desperately for air. 

His sudden ordeal gave Wang Xiao Mie a fright.

“My god! Buddy, are you having an asthma attack?!” Wang Xiao Mie hurriedly tried to help Zhen Bei but was pulled into an embrace by Wen Feng Jin.

He overexerted his strength and Wang Xiao Mie was slightly staggered.

“Don’t worry about him.”

Wang Xiao Mie wondered if it was just his instinct or that Wen Feng Jin’s words had a chilling effect. It was only a long time later that he realized it was Wen Feng Jin’s effort in trying to suppress an extreme murderous intent.

But looking at Zhen Bei’s distressed look, how could Wang Xiao Mie not care. The dude’s complexion was just frightening.

Wen Feng Jin stopped him from moving but he could still call out: “Zhen Bei, Zhen Bei, are you ok?”

After retching for some time, Zhen Bei remained kneeling on the ground and waved his hand: “I’m fine…” Maybe because of the intense coughing that his voice had changed.

Wang Xiao Mie responded with an oh and before he could say anything else, he was fully wrapped in Wen Feng Jin’s arms and his sight was blocked by his chest.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s dirty, don’t look.”

“Ha?” Wang Xiao Mie pouted. What’s dirty? 

Well, they were indeed standing in front of the toilet entrance for a while now. Is Zhen Bei affected by the fumigation?!

After some time, Zhen Bei stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His complexion had somewhat recovered and he managed to flash his sunny smile: “I’m alright. And just now, this sir had given me his word!”

“Wen Feng Jin promised to let your brother go?! When did you guys agree on that?” Wang Xiao Mie was confused, “Exactly what did you guys do just now?”

He looked up at Wen Feng Jin’s bulging Adam’s apple and chin, “Feng Jin, you really promised him?”

Wen Feng Jin made an ambiguous um sound and said: “You don’t like bloodshed so I’ll order Mu Yi and the others to drive them out.”

“I’m just not used to it….” Since he had turned into a zombie, it was inevitable that he had to fight with graverobbers. Moreover, the human’s heart is always biased. He whispered softly: “But we can’t just let them trample all over us. And Zhen Bei said that man is very bad and also powerful. He’s trying to get your heart, we should do what we have to do!”

Wang Xiao Mie’s eyes twinkled as he pursed his lips, “Even if we did something to him, it’s still self-defense. We’ve been dead so many years, the law doesn’t apply to corpses.”

Upon hearing his words, Wen Feng Jin was a little stunned. The grip on his body relaxed then tightened again, but this time with a touch of gentleness. 

“Shixiong, did you forget that I’m not actually dead?” Wen Feng Jin teased.

Fine fine fine, you’re an immortal. Wang Xiao Mie rolled his eyes. “You’re already over a thousand years old, I don’t think they’d have the heart to put a thousand years old elderly in prison.”

“If you work hard enough, you could outlive the millennial turtle! We might even get a Guinness World Record!”

Wang Xiao Mie giggled as he pictured their future in his head.

Seeing his delightful smile, Wen Feng Jin’s eyes eased and he also smiled.

“Do you get it? I’m not an open-handed person. If they really hurt you, I will stand on your side no matter what you do to them!” Wang Xiao Mie looked at him firmly and said: “So don’t hide from me anything that you’re planning to do, got it?”

Wen Feng Jin gazed into his eyes. Wang Xiao Mie’s words made his fingers twitched and the corner of his mouth hooked, “….I won’t deceive you, Shixiong.”

I’m sorry Xiao Mie, even this sentence is a lie. 

Hearing Wen Feng Jin’s promise, Wang Xiao Mie smiled again.

Zhen Bei was glaring at their backs in silence. Wen Feng Jin’s bizarre ability caused him to feel nauseous from the chest pain and dizziness. 

The master of this tomb is indeed powerful. Fortunately, he could be used.

But a mutated corpse and an immortal monster behaving intimately like two living beings…. Zhen Bei smiled to himself.

How disgusting…

Ugh~ Ughh~ it’s so disgusting I feel like throwing up.

Zhen Bei displayed a broad smile on his face.

…..

After Wang Xiao Mie and Wen Feng Jin finished talking, Zhen Bei scratched his head and shyly approached them. “Thank you both. I did not expect that you’ll agree to my request, I really don’t know how to repay you. And this kind sir… thank you. Please remember to spare my brother.”

He looked at Wen Feng Jin with clear eyes.

Wen Feng Jin forced a faint smile and said: “Fine, I will spare your brother.”

“That’s great!” Zhen Bei showed a bright and excited smile, looking much like a golden retriever.

However, Wang Xiao Mie was getting an odd vibe from him. Like looking at an ocean from above, the surface is visibly tranquil but something dark is lurking underneath.

Zhen Bei said: “Although the dig is scheduled to be a week from now, they will come here and set up camp two days in advance. At that time, I’ll be tagging along.”

Wang Xiao Mie blinked. He broke away from Wen Feng Jin’s embrace and asked: “You want a map?”

Zhen Bei shook his head: “That’s not necessary. I’m satisfied with you guys agreeing to my unreasonable request. And even after hearing that I’m coming to steal from you, you did not kill me….”

He looked down then up again at Wang Xiao Mie and said seriously, “Thank you Xiao Mie.” After which, he started giggling, “Haha, sorry, I just can’t take your name seriously.”

(TN: The mie in his name is an onomatopoeia for a sheep’s call, like baa baa in english)

“My grandmother said that a humble name is easy to raise….” Wang Xiao Mie was angry from embarrassment, “Your name is no better than mine!”

Wen Feng Jin raised his hand and stroked his head, comforting him: “Your name sounds good.”

And Zhen Bei said: “My mother told me my big brother gave me that name.” 

“Ha?” Wang Xiao Mie was speechless. “Your brother is really daring, and your mom is quite gutsy to actually keep it.”

“Right….”

“Anyway, I should get going now. I’ve sneaked out for a few days already. If I don’t return soon, I’ll get an earful from my second brother!” Zhen Bei remembered something and hurriedly went to pick up his backpack. He rubbed his nose and said with some embarrassment: “Err, I don’t know how to get out. Do you think you can …”

Wang Xiao Mie was about to answer him when Wen Feng Jin beat him to it: “I will tell Mu Yi to send you out.”

“Ah? That huge lizard?!” Zhen Bei shrunk his neck in fear.

Wang Xiao Mie comforted him: “Mu Yi is particularly obedient to Wen Feng Jin. Rest assured, he won’t bite you.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

A foreboding sensation flashed in Wen Feng Jin’s eyes as he glanced at Zhen Bei’s smiling face. He turned and eyed the empty passageway. After a short while, clicking sounds could be heard coming their way.

The blood-red lizardman Mu Yi crawled in front of them.

When Zhen Bei was following the lizard to leave, he turned back and said to Wen Feng Jin: “After my brother comes out safely, I will repay you.”

With that, he turned and left with Mu Yi.

Wang Xiao Mie’s eyes following his back were covered by a big hand.

“Stop looking at him.” Wen Feng Jin’s face was cold.

Wang Xiao Mie thought he was being jealous and snickered: “Don’t get the wrong idea. I just think that his personality is not bad. Although he is a little dense, he came here alone and risked his life for his brother. Say, if my personality is like his, won’t you like it better…”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..”

Wang Xiao Mie: “Gah! Boss! What’s with that expression?!”

Wen Feng Jin: …. I feel like puking.

Chapter 24

The summoned being Zhen Bei said hello with an amiable face but Wen Feng Jin sneered back at him: “It’s you, you still dare to come back!” After finishing his sentence, he moved in and was about to kill Zhen Bei in one swipe.

Wang Xiao Mie quickly held him back and Zhen Bei frantically waved his hand and said anxiously: “This time I’m not here to steal from you. I’m here to pass along some secret information to you!”

Secret information?

Wang Xiao Mie blinked: “What do you mean?”

“Don’t listen to his nonsense. This person could even avoid Mu Er to enter this place, he is not that simple. Xiao Mie, stand aside, I don’t want you to get hurt. Trust me, I will clean this up swiftly.” Wen Feng Jin glared at Zhen Bei like a cold-blooded viper, but as he turned to pat Wang Xiao Mie on the head, his eyes soothed as he tried to coax him with gentleness.

By now, Wang Xiao Mie was already familiar with the ruthlessness beneath his gentleness. The ‘clean this up swiftly’ he mentioned was the kind that won’t even leave a single strand of hair behind!

“Mu Er? Who is that?” Zhen Bei waved his hand and said: “Let’s not talk about that first! Listen to me! I really came to repay your kindness. I have important news to tell you! And you guys are the owners of this tomb who have laid dormant for more than thousands of years, right? Hah ha. When I told my brother what happened, he speculated that you both are the ones depicted in the inscription. You are the Shi Xiong who died in the struggle for the elixir and you must be the dark lord who decided to perish with his Shi Xiong.”

He pointed at Wang Xiao Mie, then to Wen Feng Jin, and finally, rubbed his nose with pride.

“But I’m not afraid of big dumplings and Xiao Mie doesn’t look like a bad guy to me. You saved my brother so I owed you this debt. Now, there’s this jerkface who has been threatening my brother to organize an expedition to dig up your tomb. There’s not much else I can do but the very least, I should inform you about it!”

“Perish for love? ….Dark Lord?” Wang Xiao Mie looked up at Wen Feng Jin’s back.

Wen Feng Jin turned stiff. He coughed lightly and said: “Those inscriptions are carved with nonsense, do not believe it.”

Such a grand mausoleum, how can anyone inscribe nonsense about it? Wang Xiao Mie sighed and covered his head. Forget it. After reading the diary, it was obvious this thing had grown up to be crooked.

And what concerned Wang Xiao Mie was the news that Zhen Bei just broke to them. He grabbed Wen Feng Jin’s hand and asked Zhen Bei: “What is this big news you’re talking about? Who is going to dig up our grave? And why is that you could fall in front of me with such accuracy…”

And I thought I managed to obtain some ridiculous summoning magic.

Wen Feng Jin stood between the two of them. When Wang Xiao Mie held his hand, he hesitated but did not push away the cold hands. He stared icily at Zhen Bei and commanded: “Answer my Shixiong’s question, you little thing.”

“Little thing?” Zhen Bei’s eyes bulged out and he pointed at himself, “I’m twenty-four!”

Wang Xiao Mie rolled his eyes: “I’m over one thousand three hundred. He is also over one thousand three hundred. With our age alone, we are qualified to be museum exhibits.”

Zhen Bei: “…..”

“… fine then.” Zhen scratched his head and moved towards them slightly, “Actually I…”

“Do not come any closer!” Wen Feng Jin gave him a menacing stare, “Unless you want your head and limbs to be located in different places.”

Graverobbers are insidious and cunning by nature. A desperate man does not mean he is not dangerous.

Throughout the thousand years in the tomb palace, several men had indeed managed to infiltrate the depths of the tomb. When they were caught by Wen Feng Jin, they did not hesitate to throw away their dignity and begged for their lives. However, once he relaxed his guard, they would seize any opportunity to fight back. They would even use their companions as bait to kill the creatures guarding the tomb.

Zhen Bei looked at Wen Feng Jin staring at him with an ice-cold and poisonous expression and his neck froze as sweat dripped from his forehead. He was nervous to the point of suffocating.

That’s a zombie! One that had lived for more than a thousand years. The last time, he tried to strangle him without any hesitation! The trauma from almost being killed by Wen Feng Jin made his legs numb by just staring at his weird black eyes.

But …

Zhen Bei thought of his purpose. He swallowed his saliva and moistened his coarse throat due to the tension. With a stiff smile, he said: “I truly do not mean you any harm… If you don’t believe me, I can throw my backpack away!”

After hearing his words, Wen Feng Jin continued to stare daggers at Zhen Bei and sneered at his silly and bright smile: “Good, then you’d better get rid of your coat, the dagger in your boot, and also the talismans under your clothes.”

“….. Damn, how did you know this?!” Zhen Bei immediately covered his chest. It was a confession without much interrogation.

Wen Feng Jin seized the chance to make a mockery: “Xiao Mie, you see, these graverobbers are shameless. You shouldn’t believe their lies.” 

Wang Xiao Mie chuckled: “Feng Jin, let’s just hear him out.”

Wen Feng Jin snorted softly. He turned and continued to stare at Zhen Bei with impatience.

Wang Xiao Mie yawned: “Buddy, please hurry. I have to go back to sleep. We didn’t close our coffin lid just now. It’s really annoying if any strange bugs were to enter.

“….no…. Someone is coming to dig your grave and you’re going to bed?!”

“Otherwise? Do you know how many people come here in a year? If it was possible for me to collect entrance fees, I would’ve set up a tourist attraction spot ok?” You could tell how frequent their visits were by looking at the mountain of bags left by them in the side hall!

Mu Er, the little sister who resembled a female water ghost, would give out a sobbing sound whenever there were intruders and Mu Yi would collect the bags and bring them to the side hall. He had now turned from a lizardman to a hoarding hamster!

“I have to say, did you guys read too many novels? Why don’t you guys find a decent job instead of disturbing others’ graves? And most of you guys can’t even get past Mu Er to enter the inner chamber, why do you keep coming here and risk your lives? Isn’t it foolish?”

Every time he was woken up by the Mu Er alarm and prepared himself for a battle with the graverobbers, Wen Feng Jin would only appease him and said: “Go back to sleep, Mu Er had already dealt with the problem.”

Wang Xiao Mie stared at Zhen Bei and said: “Attacks on a game’s dungeon boss is not even as diligent as you guys.”

Zhen Bei listened to his complaints and could only scratch his head and said timidly: “That’s only because you guys have so many precious things here.”

Wang Xiao Mie said in resentment: “Nonsense, we don’t have anything precious here. You guys on the surface can watch TV and surf the net. When you’re hungry you can even order takeout!”

What about us? We don’t have internet or even a mobile phone. We’re still using candles as lighting! We can’t even have proper meals and have to scavenge leftovers from equipment bags. Sob~ 

“You, you even know how to use the internet…”

“Of course! I’m a dumpling who knows how to keep up with the times.”

“Oh…. but with the fish pearls you have, you should be able to have a good life if you sell them.”

“…..”

“…..”

Wang Xiao Mie and Zhen Bei looked at each other in envy. 

Alas, one man’s trash is another’s treasure. If Wen Feng Jin was not standing in between, they would have given each other a consolation hug.

“How about I give you the stuff and you can sell it for money and place cell towers on the mountain above us. Oh and also send me some generators and the likes….”

“Alright! I can also get you some snacks online!” 

“Buddy, you’re a good person!”

“Hehe you’re welcome. Let’s add our WeChat.”

“Ok…. I don’t have a phone.”

“Ha…. don’t worry, I’ll bring you one the next time I come.”

“Good brother!”

Just as the two were about to get close and give each other a brotherly hug, Wen Feng Jin pulled Wang Xiao Mie’s back collar with a blackened face. With a smile and gritted teeth, he called: “Shi, Xiong!”

Wang Xiao Mie realized that he had gone off-topic due to his excitement. And Zhen Bei who was very natural in front of Wang Xiao Mie also saw Wen Feng Jin’s grimacing look. He took a step back in silence as his danger radar was ringing intensely.

Wang Xiao Mie obediently gave Wen Feng Jin a sweet smile and blinked twice, trying to sell meng. Wen Feng Jin snorted coldly but his complexion was much more at ease: “Do not talk about irrelevant things.”

“Ok, I know!”

Wang Xiao Mie stuck out his tongue at him. He was less vigilant against Zhen Bei and after talking for a while, they went back to the main topic.

“Firstly, how did you get past Mu Er and entered this place? I haven’t seen anyone who could enter here lately. And why is it always when I’m using the toilet that you would appear?”

Zhen Bei scratched his head in embarrassment: “I have not seen the Mu Er that you mentioned but while walking in here, I did feel someone following me. When I turned back, there was no one there. But as I walked on, something suddenly came at me and I took off. I arrived at a strange place and thought I was going to die when I realized that this was the same place I got separated from my brother the last time! So I searched for the mechanism which I had accidentally touched before and here I am!”

“Heh heh, I did not expect my luck to be this good. I thought I’ll have to walk a long way but I met you guys as soon as I got down here. After all, this time, I’m mentally prepared to die here!”

“…..”

Wang Xiao Mie was expressionless listening to his words. He looked at Wen Feng Jin: “Do you believe him?”

Wen Feng Jin looked at the trap door and said: “This chamber and the latrines inside were constructed by the builders of the tomb palace. There is a possibility that they not only built the latrines but also made an escape route. Mu Er may have tried to finish him off by herself and did not sound the alarm. But she did not expect him to fall into a trap and most likely assumed he was dead so she did not pursue.”

Wen Feng Jin thought of something else and told him with a little annoyance: “After your death, I have met people like him. I can’t completely defeat them nor can I kill them no matter how many times I tried. It seemed bad luck would always befall them but they would always prevail and come out a winner with some twists of fate!”

“…..”

That’s… you’re probably describing a protagonist….

What the….

Wang Xiao Mie looked at Zhen Bei: “Buddy, this luck of yours contradicts your name!”

Zhen Bei scratched his head shyly: “Hehe, it’s no big deal.”

“This time I’m here because one week from now, that jerkface is coming here to dig up your graves…..”

Next, Zhen Bei explained to them in earnestly:

His family had been in the antiquity business for generations. They specialized in appraising artifacts and had accumulated a good reputation and a lot of wealth over the years. They were a well-known family in the antique circle.

And their eldest son was particularly gifted in this aspect. His eyes could see the authenticity of an item even without the use of equipment! One day, a jerkface gentleman paid him a visit and showed him a wooden box. When he opened the box, poisonous smoke shot into his eyes and rendered him blind. 

They wanted to catch the guy but his brother stopped them. In turn, the jerkface gave them a copy of the map to the inner palace of this tomb, telling them where to find the fish pearls.

The last time, he came here secretly with his second brother and a group of their comrades. He was lucky to have met Wang Xiao Mie, a little dumpling who bore no malice towards humans and also received the treasured fish pearls from him.

When he returned and retold the situation to them, both his brother and the jerkface was ecstatic. They asked him to repeat his story many times over.

They were particularly interested in Wang Xiao Mie and Wen Feng Jin’s appearance and whether they seemed human or just soulless beings.

Out of curiosity, he went to eavesdrop on his brother and found out that he had planned to enter the tomb with that jerkface.

Zhen Bei clenched his fist and said in a low voice: “My brother had been obsessed with precious antiques and mysteries of the catacombs since he was young. I only knew then that my brother had sent a lot of people into this tomb but none were successful. That was until that jerkface came to look for him!”

“I don’t know how he did it, but he managed to persuade my brother to join the expedition himself and gathered a large group of people. I heard that guy said he does not want any of the treasures. All he wants is the tomb master’s heart.”

Wang Xiao Mie: “…..”

Wang Xiao Mie squinted at Wen Feng Jin: “Explain yourself! Is it your peach blossom debt coming to knock on our door?!”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..”

Before Wen Feng Jin could explain, Zhen Bei corrected him: “It’s not that heart! It’s his literal heart! He wants to eat the heart of the immortal tomb master! It is said that eating it can give him the tomb master’s powers and eternal life!”

What the f**k! Digging out my man’s heart?!

Chapter 23

Wang Xiao Mie collapsed in the coffin, staring at the intricate carvings on the inside the coffin wall. His limbs were spread apart and his eyes unfocused. His clothes were taken off, revealing the little naked dumpling inside.

Strawberry marks sprinkled across his body from head to toe like tattoos.

Wang Xiao Mie: ….. I was almost turned into a crippled dumpling!

And the culprit was sitting on the edge of the coffin wearing only the bottom half of his flaming red robe. His bare muscular back and long ink-like hair were facing Wang Xiao Mie. He hummed an old tune as he tapped on the coffin with his fingers.

To put it simply, he was in a wonderfully good mood!!!

Wang Xiao Mie looked at his hollowed out and disheveled self, then stared back at the elated dog whose waist was not in pain and shoulders were not aching!

A tiny flame called envy ignited in him…

He gritted his teeth and called out: “Xiao Wenzi…..”

“Hm?” Wen Feng Jin turned back and Wang Xiao Mie was almost blinded by his brilliant smile.

Wang Xiao Mie: “…..” Boss, are you that happy? Your character design is collapsing!!

Wen Feng Jin got up from his sitting position. He knelt down beside the coffin and reached in to gently touch Wang Xiao Mie’s cheek with the utmost affection. He almost had an urge to press him against his chest.

“Xiao Mie, yesterday….” At the mention of yesterday, Wen Feng Jin strained his face and tried to stay in character but still could not hold in his ecstatic smile. His eyes sparkled as he held Wang Xiao Mie’s hand tightly: “I was very happy yesterday. I will take care of you for eternity. I will definitely take responsibility for you. I will never let down your trust and feelings!”

“…..”

“Oh, that’s right. We have long been married. Hah ha ha.”

“…..”

The beautiful demon did not suppress his somewhat foolish laughter.

Boss, please don’t do that, you’re scaring me. Wang Xiao Mie swallowed his saliva and heard Wen Feng Jin said: “On the wedding night, after the women from our homeland… do it for the first time, it was customary to have a bowl of red bean rice. Although there are no red beans in the tomb, I’ve found an alternative from what the grave robbers left behind. Come, I’ll help you get dressed and then I’ll cook some for you.”

He supported Wang Xiao Mie out of the coffin and dressed him attentively. After being clothed, Wang Xiao Mie was lifted into a princess carry. His long black hair cascaded down onto the red wedding dress like a soft brocade.

Steady arms wrapped around his shoulders and thighs as Wang Xiao Mie laid compliantly in his embrace, feeling deeply touched.

My husband is super hot and super caring!

When they got to the riverside where they used to wash clothes, Wen Feng Jin put him down carefully, “Wait for me here.”

“Ok.” Wang Xiao Mie blinked twice and nodded. He observed Wen Feng Jin with anticipation as he went ahead and cleaned the pots and utensils before lighting up the alcohol block to cook the rice.

But when Wen Feng Jin started cooking, he became secretive and tried to block Wang Xiao Mie’s view. When he was allowed to look, the beans and rice were already boiling in the pot with a tight lid on top.

Wang Xiao Mie’s heart was smitten. He grinned and pretended not to care: “Che~ there’s no need to be secretive, I’m not curious.”

Wen Feng Jin did not respond. He only smiled after hearing his words.

After that night, they could not help but see pink blossoms popping up as they looked at each other. Wang Xiao Mie blushed and turned away.

Wen Feng Jin chuckled and his eyes were filled with affection.

Cooking rice took a long time and as the atmosphere grew stagnant, Wang Xiao Mie got impatient and stole a glance at Wen Feng Jin. As it turned out, heh heh, Wen Feng Jin was also staring at him heartily!

Ai yo~ the look that stole my first time!

Wang Xiao Mie sprang up: “I… I… I’m going over there to play with the mud!”

Wen Feng Jin nodded with a smile.

Wang Xiao Mie marched towards the river bank and squatted down to play with the mud. As he molded the clay into different shapes, he replayed the scenes from last night in his head. His face was blushing red from embarrassment but he still couldn’t help giggling.

Slurp~ Wen Feng Jin’s waist is so strong ~

Slurp~ last night ~ Miee heh heh~

When he snapped back and looked down, the clay in his hand had turned into Wen Feng Jin’s ‘big brother’.

“…..”

Ah ah ah!

Wang Xiao Mie pounded the item into the ground with his palm. Smoke was rising from the top of his head and he wanted to drill a hole to hide in. His face was heated and he had to use the back of his hands to hide his red cheeks.

Oh my, the uncontrollable mind of a man who had *beep* for the first time!

Unknown to him, the not-so-far-apart Wen Feng Jin was looking at his ashamed expression and biting his lower lip…

Um, how very cute.

Um, how I want to *beep*.

The mind of the millennial undead virgin who had tasted *beep* for the first time was even more uncontrollable.

As the air was filled with the pungent smell of love, the porridge was also done, adding a delicate fragrance to the mix. Wen Feng Jin opened the lid and stirred with a satisfied look.

“Xiao Mie, come and have lunch.”

“Ok! I’m coming!” Wang Xiao Mie rubbed the mud off his hands. He washed his hands using the cold water from the river and happily went to Wen Feng Jin.

Hmm, red bean rice. Other than his grandma, this was the first time someone cared and cooked for him!

Wen Feng Jin served him a portion of hot, well-cooked rice. He blew and said softly: “This is my first time making this. At least give it a try. And don’t scald yourself.”

Wang Xiao Mie gazed at his gentle face and giggled: “Don’t worry! I’ll finish it!”

“Ok, but be careful of the heat.” Wen Feng Jin blissfully passed the rice to him.

Wang Xiao Mie accepted the bowl with sparks in his eyes. When he lowered his head to eat…

Wang Xiao Mie: “…..”

Wen Feng Jin had already taken a bite when he saw Wang Xiao Mie sitting still as a piece of wood. He frowned and asked: “What’s wrong Xiao Mie? Is it not to your taste?”

“…..no, you said before that you couldn’t find red beans so you used an alternative, right?”

“That’s right.”

“…..” Wang Xiao Mie scooped up a spoonful of green peas from his bowl with a wooden expression, “So you used green peas instead?”

Wen Feng Jin tilted his head: “Green peas are also good for your health, is there something wrong?”

“…..”

Wang Xiao Mie quietly picked up from the ground the packaging used for the peas.

The label read: Specialized green peas for graverobbers! Soaked in professional holy water for 7,7, 49 days. Can be used as food as well as exorcising zombies. A discount of two yuan on your next purchase for writing a good review smooch~ 

(TN: This is actually a reference to the game Plants vs Zombies. Anyone who had played it would know that the first plant you get is a peashooter that shoots green peas to kill zombies)

“…..”

Specialized green peas?!

Soaked in holy water for 49 days?! It’s just regular water right, you swine! And soaked for 49 days, have you asked about the peas’ feelings. The poor thing couldn’t even sprout! Negative review! negative review!

He looked at the green pea that seemed to cry: “I’m very green! You’ll turn green too if you eat me!”

Wang Xiao Mie covered his face and shed two rows of tears.

The day after our first *beep*, my husband made me, a zombie, a bowl of holy green pea rice. Can I burn him, will I be arrested after burning him? Waiting online, it’s urgent! (TN: While red bean represents love, green refers to someone cheating in a relationship.)

“Xiao Mie, why aren’t you eating?” Wen Feng Jin urged.

“Xiao Wenzi…”

“Hm?”

“Do you know what ‘wearing a green hat’ or ‘you’re greened’ mean?”

The ancient tyrant Wen Feng Jin frowned and shook his head.

Wang Xiao Mie smiled graciously and picked out all the green peas and gave them to him: “You’re the one who had to work hard yesterday, you should have more. I’ll just have rice.”

Thinking of yesterday, Wen Feng Jin once again beamed with delight, he scooped the peas and put it back in Wang Xiao Mie’s bowl: “You have to eat more too, after all….”

“…..”

Wang Xiao Mie did not reject him anymore and ate the peas. After chewing down a few, the beans’ heat diffusing effects soothed his heart….

It was unclear whether zombies weren’t allowed to eat green peas or that the peas were really soaked in exorcising water but that night, the familiar feeling once again erupted in Wang Xiao Mie’s stomach.

He sat up and with a black face and stared at Wen Feng Jin who was absolutely fine!

Injustice! Why is it that we eat and drink the same thing but I’m the only one getting fatter, ah no, I mean I’m the only one getting diarrhea!

“What’s wrong?” Seeing his discomfort, Wen Feng Jin asked in concern, “Xiao Mie, say something, don’t scare me.”

“It’s nothing…” Wang Xiao Mie bit his teeth and covered his stomach: “I need to use the toilet.”

Wen Feng Jin was briefly stunned. He remembered the event from last time and immediately went to get the toilet paper they had found. He then quickly carried Wang Xiao Mie to the latrine from before.

“I’ll wait for you at the door.”

Wang Xiao Mie grabbed the toilet paper and rushed in. He groaned in pain and squatted down with a bitter face.

Sooner or later, I’ll be poisoned to death by Wen Feng Jin!

But this time, there shouldn’t be a person falling from above, right?

Wang Xiao Mie looked up at the stone slab and thought of how he had met Zhen Bei the last time he was here.

Haha, how can this be? Not only had he found the fish pearls but how could a person fall in the same trap twice?

Wait! This feels like the dialogue to activate a really strange flag. He couldn’t possibly fall down right now and prove me wrong, right!?

Wang Xiao Mie looked up with fear but even after his business was done and he had wiped his butt, nothing strange came falling down…..

Hah! Like I said, how can there be so many coincidences in this world~

With that, he re-attired himself properly but just as he got to the door, Wen Feng Jin was suddenly right in front of him. He pulled him behind and raised his head to stare angrily at something overhead!

At the same time, the stone slab on the ceiling gave out a familiar sound and abruptly opened!

“Uwahhhh!”

A familiar person gave out a pitiful scream and with a plop, dropped on the ground. 

After saying “Oww, my waist”, he got up quickly and shook his head. His movement was a little fuzzy like he had a concussion.

He ‘pei pei pei’ to spit out the dirt in his mouth as his hands patted his body to remove the dust on his clothes. It took him a while to finally settle down and observe his surroundings.

As their eyes locked, the three of them were rooted in place. Zhen Bei was dumbfounded at first, then a big smile spread across his face!

He even dared to flash his sunny smile and wave his hands like a big husky!

“Hey! Xiao Mie! I’m back again! Did you miss me?!”

“…..”

“…..”

Wang Xiao Mie gawked at Zhen Bei. There was a long silence. He raised his hand slowly to his mouth and gave it a light slap: you just have to jinx it! And… what is this place?! A summoning ground?!

Chapter 22

Wen Feng Jin’s initial thought was: after Shixiong knew the portion of truth that he deliberately revealed, he would be so guilt-ridden that he completely let down his guard, relying on him wholeheartedly. And then eventually, he would entrust his heart and body to him and they can live the lovey-dovey life of “Feng Jin I’m cold” and “Shixiong let me warm you in my arms”!

However, as an ancient relic, our little gong Wen Feng Jin obviously did not know about the modern day’s dating rituals….

As for Wang Xiao Mie…

Before knowing the truth: A scaredy-cat who could cry a river when bullied.

Wang Xiao Mie after knowing he was the boss’s white moonlight: The corner of his mouth raised to form a smirk as he snobbishly laughed in his heart!

His change was as drastic as the in-laws before and after marriage.

“Xiao Wen Zi, it’s time to wash the clothes.” (TN: wen zi means mosquito in Chinese. It sounds the same as Wen Feng Jin’s surname, so Wang Xiao Mie gave him this nickname)

Wen Feng Jin: “…” Xiao Wen Zi???

“Xiao Wenzi, I’m using that weapon display as a clothes rack.”

Wen Feng Jin: “….. where is my Liao Yue sword?”

“Ha? Oh, I threw it on the floor!”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..”

“Xiao Wenzi! Mu Yi stole the snack I left here! Tell him to return it to me!”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..”

“Xiao Wenzi, you said that the mermaid lamps cannot be extinguished even after so many years, then why don’t I use it to cook my hotpot….”

“Wah! Fire! Quickly put out the fire! Xiao Wenzi!”

Wang Xiao Mie who had set the place on fire was wailing and running in circles. Wen Feng Jin sighed and expelled the evil expression on his face. He quickly flew over to the puppy-like Wang Xiao Mie and held him in his arms. With a wave of his hand, the stone slab on the ground broke and the shattered pieces instantly put out the fire.

Wen Feng Jin looked at the weeping little thing in his arms with a tuft of frizzy burnt frontal hair and an innocent look on his face.

Wen Feng Jin frowned and before he could say anything, Wang Xiao Mie glared at him with puffing cheeks!

“What are you staring at? Are you going to be violent with me!”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..” Well, all I’m going to do is love you to death.

Wen Feng Jin felt helpless and amused. As he looked at the daring expression on Wang Xiao Mie’s face, he felt his teeth itch and could not help but pinched his nose and took a bite of his cheek, feeling the cold but soft skin of his cherished beloved.

Wen Feng Jin’s heart was filled with a certain type of warmth.

Lately, Wang Xiao Mie found that Wen Feng Jin was not smiling as much. But the smile that disappeared was the twisted and paranoid kind. Now, whenever Wang Xiao Mie called him Xiao Wenzi, he would drop everything he was doing and turned to look at him with a helpless smile that one would show a child. 

His brows were frowning, but he was actually happier than any other time.

The Wang Xiao Mie who had deliberately caused trouble was laughing secretly at the vivid change in his expression.

If you’re sad, I’ll give you my everything to warm you up. I am making a ruckus because I don’t want you to be so lonely….

There is a kind of angel in this world, while others called them goblins and ghosts, would always grant you a kiss after making their mischief.

To deal with these mischievous beings who would cause your heart to sprout, you don’t need violence. All you have to do is kiss him real hard.

…..

At night, the little goblin who used to secretly touch the big guy’s chest before sleeping was now doing it openly. His hands would even reach down to grope the southernmost part and give it a pinch before going to sleep.

Looking down at the head leaning against his chest and the thighs that were nonchalantly placed on top of his belly as soft teasing grunts were made, Wen Feng Jin was having a very hard time enduring. And yet, his efforts were rejected.

Wang Xiao Mie: “Why isn’t your gun loaded?! I’m almost at my limit!” Hmph! How hateful! (TN: In case the more innocent readers do not get this, Wang Xiao Mie is actually questioning why Wen Feng Jin isn’t getting hard)

Wen Feng Jin: “…..”

Buyer beware, actual product may differ from packaging! On the label: a warm and desirable Shixiong, actual product: a mischievous Wang Xiao Mie full of dirty thoughts.

Wen Feng Jin could not bear it a second more and had to push Wang Xiao Mie away, causing him to bare his teeth and said: “Do you not like me anymore? Ha? Just say it! Wan wan wan!”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..Xiao Mie, stop making barking sounds.”

Wang Xiao Mie: “….. wan wan wan!” I’m getting a bite of you!

Without him realizing it, Wen Feng Jin had called Wang Xiao Mie by his name. He just could not look at the mischievous thing and call him Shixiong or Mian Deng. And so with his dark and black pupils filled with absolute sweetness and indulgence, he changed from the man who had been looking at his Shixiong with admiration to an ‘old’ man who helplessly fell in love with a little rascal. 

…..

On a certain day, Wang Xiao Mie was kneading the mud out of boredom. The underground lacked so many things, namely electricity and the internet. Only gold, treasures, and soil are abundant.

Wang Xiao Mie once asked Wen Feng Jin: “Shouldn’t there be fishes in such a long underground river?”

Wen Feng Jin hesitated: “Back then I did throw in a few fishes that could survive in it. But their role is to prevent graverobbers….”

“Wow! There’s fish?! Then we can finally eat grilled fish!” Wang Xiao Mie was in high spirits as he suggested they do some fishing. He completely ignored Wen Feng Jin’s last sentence.

When Wang Xiao Mie actually caught a big fish with a human head and long hair that was grinning at him, he had nightmares for two days straight. 

Wang Xiao Mie: “…..” I was stupid for thinking that there is normal fish in this place!

Since then, Wang Xiao Mie never spoke of fishing or grilling again.

He sat quietly by the river molding the mud. His finished products were two ash urns, one for himself, and the other for Wen Feng Jin. If they were ever discovered by scientists and dug out from the mud later on, the urns are ready to be used. 

…..

From time to time, Wang Xiao Mie would dream of the past and whenever he woke up, there would be a bitter taste in his mouth. But he just attributed it to the strange tree.

And maybe because he was recovering his past memories, the duration he could stay away from it was extended.

He also got to know the ‘little cuties’ that Wen Feng Jin kept.

Those unique looking little things ….

In comparison, the blood lizard Mu Yi was indeed the best-looking one.

Wen Feng Jin gestured his hand to introduce each of them to him: “This is Mu Er.” A female ghost with long hair and a ferocious expression who lived in the water. 

Wang Xiao Mie: she can easily steal Sadako’s job (TN: Sadako is the female ghost in the Ring movie)

“This is Mu San.” This one did not even look human. It was almost like a mushroom that grew hands. From afar, it resembled a walking *cough*, you know, the thing all men are familiar with….

Wen Feng Jin told him never to touch the mucus on his body. It would turn any living person into a pool of water, leaving behind only their clothes.

“This is Mu Si.”

“This is Mu Wu.”

“This is…..” (TN: Basically, Wen Feng Jin just added numbers to the word Mu (木=wood), and that’s their names.)

In one go, Wang Xiao Mie was introduced to the ten protectors of the tomb palace. Wen Feng Jin said with a smile: “Aren’t they cute?”

Wang Xiao Mie: “….um, very cute.” Perfect to start a horror movie franchise with the most terrifying monsters.

Wen Feng Jin rubbed his head gently: “Bring them along when you’re going for a stroll, got it? The location of our tomb is not entirely hidden, the number of grave robbers that appeared is becoming annoying. Don’t ever let yourself be hurt.”

Bring them along? How about they walk in the front while I hold a leash at the back?

We’ll either be walking our pets or two onmyouji with their demons. Oh and what would the graverobbers think when they see our grand family?!

Wang Xiao Mie stared expressionlessly at his monstrous family members: “I refuse, they’re too ugly.”

The group of monsters began sobbing with different sounds. Aw, it sounded quite pitiful—As if! It’s f**king sending chills up my spine!

Wang Xiao Mie: “…. can you not get too serious with your acting?”

The group of monsters: “We can’t. The master is watching!”

Wang Xiao Mie raised his head and saw Wen Feng Jin grinning. See, he’s staring at us!

“Xiao Wenzi….”

“Hm?”

“Get down!”

“……”

On that day, Wang Xiao Mie not only rode on the back of the grimacing Xiao Wen Zi, he was also escorted by ten monster bodyguards to tour the underground palace.

Wang Xiao Mie who had found his joy began this habit of walking around their tomb palace every night before going to bed. Ten days later, Wen Feng Jin had lost a lot of weight.

During this time, Wang Xiao Mie also discovered an interesting phenomenon. It seemed the lizard Mu Yi and the mushroom Mu San have a rather bad relationship.

Whenever they went for their walks, Mu Yi would hang on the tomb wall and secretly spit at Mu San….

Mu San tolerated him for the first two times. But when he saw that Mu Yi was giggling at him as he continued to provoke him, the mushroom began to secrete its corrosive mucus, making Mu Er and Mu Si next to him screech…

“…..”

“You don’t have to mind them. Mu Yi and Mu San had been at loggerheads even when they were still alive.” Wen Feng Jin whispered to the Wang Xiao Mie on his back. After which, he gave the gang of monsters a glance. Mu San immediately stopped expelling his acid and Mu Yi jumped off the wall and walked alongside the rest obediently.

The group of rowdy monsters was like a bunch of mutated huskies. They marched back in line and continued to walk along the dark and gloomy pathway after being reprimanded.

“…..” Wang Xiao Mie thought it was quite amusing and began to tease Wen Feng Jin: “The children’s dad, you’re too fierce.”

Wen Feng Jin was stunned. He widened his eyes in surprise: “What did you call me?”

Riding on his back, Wang Xiao Mie could not see the expression on Wen Feng Jin’s face. He smiled and said: “The children’s dad! Look at us two and the ten of them, don’t we look like a family of twelve?”

Wen Feng Jin stopped walking and stayed silent for a long time. The monsters in front looked back in curiosity and so did Wang Xiao Mie who stretched his neck to look at Wen Feng Jin.

“Xiao Wenzi, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Wen Feng Jin seemed to come back to his senses. He bumped up Wang Xiao Mie on his back and continued walking in silence.

“Feng Jin, what’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing….. Xiao Mie…”

“Hm?”

“The children’s … mother.”

“…..”

The hoarse voice which carried a hint of happiness swept gently into his ears. Wang Xiao Mie blushed instantly. Although the atmosphere had returned to its soundless state, this time it was filled with sweet silence.

Back on the high platform, Wang Xiao Mie and Wen Feng Jin returned to their coffin.

They laid on their backs and neither slept. This night, Wang Xiao Mie also did not let his hands run wild. In their silence, Wen Feng Jin’s soft breathing was amplified infinitely.

The opened casket allowed them to watch the scenic fiery peach tree in full bloom.

A cold and bony hand lightly covered Wang Xiao Mie’s colder one.

“You….”

“You….”

The two turned and faced each other. It was almost as if the air was filled with thick honey, intensely sweet and breathless…

Wen Feng Jin suddenly laughed. The evil and handsome face was strangely tranquil for the first time as he moved closer. Wang Xiao Mie closed his eyes in silent anticipation.

The two pairs of cold and pale pink lips finally touched…

Chapter 21

Wang Xiao Mie’s head was emptied as he reached for a leather notebook under his pillow with shaking hands.

This was a notebook he found in a backpack left behind by the tomb robbers in the side hall. Because he was alone in childhood with no friends or close relatives, he had a habit of writing diaries to ward off his loneliness. From time to time, he would look through it to past time and have a good laugh.

The two books were completely different. One was obviously ancient, while the other was modern.

The only similarity between them was the big letters spread across the cover: 

Wang Xiao Mie’s diary

“…..”

The childish doodles were similar to that of a kindergarten kid and the handwriting that was too ugly as if it came out of a drunken beetle crawling on the page……

…..yup, no doubt, that’s my writing.

Wang Xiao Mie, with a wooden expression, flipped open the two booklets.

The first sentence on his left: Wang Xiao Mie’s diary: Today is my second day of being a newly wedded wife in an underground palace, I’m hungry….

The first sentence on his right: Wang Xiao Mie’s diary: Today is my second day of wearing as someone else’s shixiong, I’m hungry….. Ai~

Wang Xiao Mie closed the diary with a snap and shook like a Parkinson’s patient. That’s not possible, how could I write something like? Something that at first glance seemed like the writing of an idiot. I’m such a cool and handsome guy, how can I let my image be stained with this?

I definitely have never traveled to ancient times or met with Wen Feng Jin before this, much less have these memories….

Calm down, Wang Xiao Mie, you have to calm down!

And so he flipped to the next entry of his diary.

Wang Xiao Mie’s diary: in order to prevent others from reading my diary, I decided to use pinyin! Why not English? That’s because I don’t know English hahaha! Ain’t I super smart? Wink~

“……”

“……”

Calm down, you have to calm down…. The hell I can calm down #%￥#@%& Wink my ass!

Not minding the secret that was revealed by the diary, Wang Xiao Mie was instead painfully affected by the girlish teenage accent that was written on the page. He covered his face in embarrassment.

Wen Feng Jin was next to him. He blinked and said: “This is your penmanship. I do not know most of the words on it and there are some weird symbols as well. At that time, I gathered every professor and expert, even those from foreign nations who excel at languages to decipher this. Over the years, countless people have studied this book for a long time but none could tell what was written on it. Now that you’re here, why don’t you read it to me?”

Wang Xiao Mie: “…..”

……that many people + open discussion = public humiliation. 

I want to burn myself with this. I’ve died for so long, but today I want to die again.

Wen Feng Jin: “Shixiong, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you reciting?”

Wang Xiao Mie lowered his head to read another entry: Wang Xiao Mie’s diary: the food in the academy is just too wonderful! I want to write a poem about it: 

厨房师傅厨艺高 (chu fang shi fu chu yi gao) The kitchen chef has great skill

桂花糖饼和打糕 (gui hoa tang bing he da gao) Sweet osmanthus cakes and rice cakes

要问还有哪能挑 (yao wen hai you na neng tiao) I wanted to ask what else is there to pick

来盘荤菜好不好 (lai pan hun cai hao bu hao?) How about a non-vegetarian dish?

Tut tut, I’m so talented. Miee hahaha! Farewell!

Wang Xiao Mie: “……” Stop reading! Close your eyes! This fool is not me! Not me!

On the other end, Wen Feng Jin was still urging: “Since Shixiong refused to read it out loud, did you actually discover something?”

“I did discover something.” Wang Xiao Mie said.

“Oh?” Wen Feng Jin smiled sweetly and asked: “What is it?”

Wang Xiao Mie smiled and shed two rows of tears: “That I’m indeed an idiot.”

Wen Feng Jin: “…..”

“Shixiong is again saying things that Feng Jin does not understand. But after you’ve read this, you should have a grasp of what happened, don’t you?”

Wang Xiao Mie nodded solemnly. He flipped over to the next few pages and extracted information from the paragraphs: 

I saw the child today. How can this be the future world-destroying villain?

Ai, I realized that I’m unable to reveal that thing’s existence, whether through writing or speech. But I’ll carry out my mission well. Failure will lead to memory deletion and death, do you have to be so serious…..”

And also: the little shota is too kawaii! I have to raise him to excel in the art of morality, intelligence and physique, an all-around development! And what’s with this scenario: raise the big villain from young to become his white moonlight?! Oh how stupid is this …… Stupid XX!

Wang Xiao Mie read till half of his diary before putting it down and cowering his head for several hours. Wen Feng Jin was by his side the whole time.

Wang Xiao Mie shook his head. Although this was confusing and unthinkable, after combining the texts in his diary and all the transmigration and rebirth literature he had read, he could deduce that for some reason, his previous self was bound to a system. The ‘thing’ and ‘stupid XX’ mentioned in his diary should be referring to that system.

And his task was to cater love and care to the villain when he was miserable and educate him to become a kind person.

……

At this point, Wang Xiao Mie raised his head and glared at Wen Feng Jin.

Cloaked in red and black, with dark eyes and a scarlet mark between his brows, Wen Feng Jin revealed a smile after sensing his gaze. He gave off a ‘this lord wants your life’ look.

Wang Xiao Mie: ….. The art of morality, intelligence and physique huh. Boss, which of these do you think you can pass? 

Sigh… needless to question, the system was not blind. Once it saw what the big guy had turned into, with a wave of its hand, his memories were gone and he was sent back to the present.

Maybe the reason he died was also because of the system.

And Wen Feng Jin said that after he died, the silly thing began to construct this underground palace, collected rare treasures, planted the sacred tree, and waited for him in this palace for over a thousand years.

For Wang Xiao Mie, going to the past and back was just a snap of the finger. Therefore, there was also a possibility that he was killed in this life right after failing the mission and then was summoned here by Wen Feng Jin who had been waiting for a long time….

The more he thought about it, the more he felt like they were in the BL version of the movie ‘The Myth’.

And if things were as he had guessed, then he had it easy, having the system done all that to him….

But what about Wen Feng Jin? How did he get through the thousand years living with his corpse?

And with his understanding of himself, he most likely approached Wen Feng Jin carelessly to complete his mission and become his white moonlight, thus resulting in this ambiguous relationship…. And also Wen Feng Jin’s paranoid infatuation. 

If their places were switched and he was left alone underground with a corpse….

Wang Xiao Mie rubbed his arms. Let alone a year or two, he might not even last ten days! He would probably even pay a grave robber to stay and chat with him.

It’s no wonder Wen Feng Jin has a different expression every day and acted almost like a schizophrenic.

How life forces one to adapt~~

He flipped to the end and saw that the last entry was about Wen Feng Jin’s coming of age ceremony. The pages seemed to have been ripped off by someone.

Wen Feng Jin by his side narrowed his eyes. He reached out and took back the diary from Wang Xiao Mie’s hand.

He said: “The booklet was already this way when I got it. Now that Shixiong has seen it, I’ll continue to preserve it back in the box.”

Wang Xiao Mie scratched his head: “But isn’t this my diary? And there seems to be another one in the box, isn’t it? Can I read that too?”

But who knew that after he asked that, Wen Feng Jin’s expression changed drastically. The smile that he glued on his face was withdrawn squeaky clean and the dark pupils were suppressing something sinister. He wanted to stay gentle but the chill in his voice was all the more terrifying.

“Does Shixiong have to divide things this clear-cut with me? And you’re mistaken, that book is not yours, it’s mine.”

“But I clearly saw a ‘Wang’ on the cover…..”

“Shixiong.”

“Hm?”

“Do not make me angry alright~”

“……”

I’ve lived for so long and this is the first time I’ve heard someone say ‘alright’ with such a murderous aura…..

“Shixiong, back then when you came to replace the real Mian Deng in this body, I’ve already noticed the changes. So from the time I was seven, the one I wanted to be intimate with, the one I desired, was a soul of unknown origins. But I did not care. I prayed that you would stay forever. I was worried that you were just a ghost borrowing this body so every day I had to help you cover up your exposed tail and kept your secret hidden.”

And when the dean discovered your abnormality, he requested the dark guards sent by the emperor to kill me to take care of you as well. On the day I came of age, the guards that my father left for me had taken them out, including the dean.

What went wrong was that that day, you happened to witness the onslaught….

That was probably when you began to distance yourself from me……

Wen Feng Jin placed his hand on Wang Xiao Mie’s face and fixed his gaze on him. In Wang Xiao Mie’s hair raising state, his straightened lips bent upwards.

“Now that you’ve known this secret, Shixiong, do you still reject me? Do you still think that the one I loved is this body’s owner?”

Wang Xiao Mie shook his head vigorously. He was worried that if he took too long to respond, the boss would be tempted to perish them together.

Furthermore, nothing was worse than finding out that your current boyfriend was actually your ex-boyfriend. And also an outsider would probably think that he was scum for cleanly forgetting someone who had painfully waited for him for so long. He even gave him a slap and told him not to treat him as a substitute!

Wang Xiao Mie swallowed hard: Wen Feng Jin’s temper is actually quite good.

Just as he thought so, he heard Wen Feng Jin said: “Shixiong, it’s been hard on me these past years….”

Wang Xiao Mie: “…..I was wrong! Plus I did not have my past memories. I, I couldn’t have possibly known. Oh that’s right, why didn’t you tell me this earlier?!”

Wen Feng Jin’s expression shifted for a bit before he eased up and said: “Those days you have just finally woke up. The memories of your death were too painful, I did not want you to remember them.”

“Is that so.” Wang Xiao Mie remembered what Wen Feng Jin recounted for him before. Near his end when they were hunted for the elixir, he seemed to have been tortured. And his death to both of them was a huge blow.

No wonder he did not want me to remember. 

Wang Xiao Mie’s tiny brain was muddled with the series of events. He sat in the coffin with a headache, trying to straighten out the logic.

Seeing Wang Xiao Mie swiftly trusted his words, Wen Feng Jin deepened his smile. 

Back then, the blood ritual was incomplete and he did not have the full control brought by it. If Shixiong remembered the things I did, what would I do if he leaves again?

And also…..a Shixiong with a sense of guilt towards me and wholeheartedly dependent on me…..

I quite like it.

But I have to be restrained, or else I would probably hurt him.