Chapter 86.2 – Forever and ever (2/2)

Translator: Xena

“Are you ignoring me?” Behind Jian Xie, Qin Zhuo’s figure slowly emerged.

His expression was cold and impassive. At the same time, the black mist raged throughout the entire space. A tremendous force swept up the surrounding furniture and tore it to shreds mid-air. The horrific fragments ripped the room apart, splattering countless bloodstains. The excruciating pain caused it to scream in agony.

Cheng Li discovered that Jian Xie, who was at the center of this storm, was completely unharmed. Not even a strand of his hair was blown away.

He himself was also fine. He probably just benefited from the other person’s influence.

“I’ve already said it, I really like him.” The evil god’s eyes were gloomy. “If you don’t understand, you should learn to shut up.” 

In fact, the so-called chronological order was not important at all.

It was simply because it was Jian Xie.

As It’s words fell, all the sights before them began to warp and distort.

This immense force possessed such overwhelming power that the very air seemed to grow inexplicably hot, with faint sparks flickering across the horizon.

Cheng Li’s vision even blurred as a result. Although there was an invisible force separating them, his skin still felt the pain, which quickly made him feel suffocated and unable to breathe.

It felt as if he were in the flames of hell.

Although he had never entered the game, he understood at that moment why the monsters were so terrified of the god who could judge them.

True judgment stem from fear of It.

“I trust you.”

Amidst such terrifying ashes, Jian Xie remained calm.

If it weren’t for his previous conversations with Qin Zhuo, he might have taken what the player said as a thorn in his side.

But after the evil god willingly handed over his heart to him, all these confusions, doubts, and suspicions had vanished completely.

Some so-called “like” were merely superficial feelings and couldn’t withstand the test of life and death.

But the other person managed to do this right from the start, even going so far as to betray It’s very nature of being an evil god.

Jian Xie suddenly said, “Besides, I’ve already confirmed that I really can kill you.” 

“You can’t break away either.”

Cheng Li was startled upon hearing this.

He turned his head sharply and found that Jian Xie’s eyes were calm, with no signs of lying.

This came as a complete surprise to Cheng Li.

He racked his brain trying to make sense of the interaction between the two people he had just witnessed.

If he remembered correctly… the two were in a romantic relationship…

Now that he had said it so bluntly, the capricious evil god before him would probably—

Cheng Li’s wild thoughts were shattered.

After a few seconds of silence, It curled It’s lips and said lazily, “Very good, it seems I’ll just have to keep loving you forever and ever, staying with you like this for all eternity.” 

It’s expression even revealed a hint of pleasure. There was no sign of the other party being angry like he imagined.

That’s insane.

It was just a few brief words of conversation, yet it made the outsider feel intense, profound, and frantic emotions.

He may never truly understand.

But a sense of comprehension arose in his heart. About why Jian Xie, as a human, could openly share a body and establish a connection with an evil god.

“I remember my promise.” Jian Xie said, “Now is the time to carry it out.” 

Cross my heart and hope to die—it’ll never change.

From then on, he will take over Hell, making the evil god and the monsters his responsibility.

Cheng Li really wanted to speak up and find out what had happened.

But soon, he lost consciousness completely amid the escalating riots.

The last thing he saw was the other person’s thin figure walking towards the mirror not far away and reaching out his hand towards it.

……

When Cheng Li woke up again, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

A streak of orange light had emerged from the gray-black sky, like molten lava about to flow out from a thick smoke. This strange sight existed only between the boundary of darkness and light, as if a brand new world was about to emerge from the silence.

He was dumbstruck.

But soon, the silence was broken when he saw the figure standing not far away.

Memories from last night flooded into Cheng Li’s mind, instantly clearing his drowsy brain. He belatedly realized that his perception of his surroundings seemed to have improved, and he no longer felt like he was being stuffed into a can.

Could it be…?

Has he regained the investigator rank he’s been trying to get back all this time?

But no one can do that, unless—

With the threat of the monster gone, Cheng Li quickly pieced together the jumbled clues he gleaned from scattered remarks.

“……”

“What should I call you now?” His expression was complicated. “I never thought the [Eighteen Evils] could be chosen.” 

His car was actually parked not far away.

Inside was a document he planned to give to Jian Xie after this matter was resolved—

It was his official contract with the Supernatural Management Bureau.

He knew Jian Xie was a senior in high school, but once the college entrance exam was over, he wouldn’t be as busy as he was now.

The status of a college student was different from that of a high school student. They were not filled with classes every day so he might have been able to accept the status of a full-time employee.

But now the fog has been lifted.

Jian Xie was about to become—no—he has already become, a new character who was far more terrifying than he ever could imagine.

After he finished speaking, the person who had been feeling conflicted finally looked away from the ring on his ring finger, turned around to look at him, and showed no suspicious change in his expression.

Those amber eyes remained as clear as when he first met him, unchanged by what had happened a few hours earlier.

…He was still himself.

He didn’t become a different person.

Realizing this, Cheng Li breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly realized that his attitude had indeed been a bit ridiculous.

If there was only one person in the world who could coexist with hell without being corrupted by evil, then that person was undoubtedly the youth before him.

After all, his experiences have proven the truth of this statement.

“Sorry.” He took a deep breath, got up from the ground, and then cautiously asked, “I wasn’t thinking before I asked that question… What are you planning to do next?” 

The identity of one of the “Eighteen Evils” was extremely heavy no matter how you look at it.

Jian Xie glanced at him again before saying, “I’m going back and do a set of science practice tests, then memorize English vocabulary and do Chinese dictation.” 

Another weekend has gone by.

There would be a pop quiz on Monday, and he hasn’t forgotten how the teacher has repeatedly told him to remember to review.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Cheng Li suddenly didn’t know how to start the conversation. He was reminded again that the person in front of him was still a student, so he carefully considered his words and said, “It has nothing to do with your studies. I’m talking about your personal matters.” 

Jian Xie responded with an “Oh.” 

“I wrote a list while you were sleeping.” He thought for a moment and said, “I used to be always busy with studying and working before, so I missed a lot of the little things in life. Now I can finally make time for them.” 

“Besides, I’m not alone anymore.”

Cheng Li, feeling completely outmaneuvered: “…………”

He suddenly became a little frantic. “I mean, things related to the supernatural—” 

However, before he could finish speaking, he saw Jian Xie smile.

He quickly realized that the other person was just joking with him.

Jian Xie never joked and was always indifferent when he wasn’t talking, which gave him the illusion that he was thinking seriously.

But pranks were something evil gods often do, so could Jian Xie be considered to have been influenced by bad company…? He suddenly felt a pang of heartache, as if he had seen a cabbage being pulled up.¹There is a Chinese saying “A good cabbage has been arched/dug up by a pig”. This humorous and slightly cynical metaphor is used to express disbelief or frustration when a wonderful, sweet, or well-nurtured person (the “cabbage”) ends up with someone who is considered unworthy, undesirable, or reckless (the “pig”). (googled this up)

“I think I’ll hold a real meeting.” Jian Xie said calmly, “…Use the identity of [Eighteen Evils].”

He had considered how to clean up this mess, and using Hell to swallow all the monsters back up was neither realistic nor humane, it lacked practicality as well.

After all, some monsters didn’t actually intend to continue doing evil.

As Wen Heshu mentioned in the last mission, those rational monsters each have their own territories, and investigators dare not venture into those territories casually. That was why there was a division from District 1 to District 18. Since that was the case, there was no need to overcomplicate things, it was better to just make use of it.

Therefore, during this meeting, Jian Xie would ask the monsters to manage their own territories. That way, if any incidents of injury occurred, he would know who should be held responsible.

This made things much simpler.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Li was taken aback.

Then, his brows furrowed, but quickly relaxed after as if he understood Jian Xie’s thoughts.

“But what if they don’t want to—,” He suddenly realized that those monsters might not play by the rules.

“This is the simplest thing.”

Cheng Li choked for a moment: “…”

Apologies, he forgot again that the other party was not the unarmed new investigator he had imagined.

“You can report this to the Management Bureau.”

Jian Xie glanced at the sky again, offering no further explanation.

He was not worried about the Bureau’s stance.

Because Minister Zhang was a very intelligent woman, which could be seen from the mission she assigned herself. She was very good at weighing the pros and cons and making the right decisions.

“It’s getting late. I’m going to see a movie so I’ll still have time to go home and study.”

Jian Xie asked, “Is someone coming to pick you up?” 

Cheng Li was taken aback by this abrupt change of topic, and then said, “Uh, Yu Jinghe will bring reinforcements? They have cars…”  

“Then I’m leaving,” The other party said. 

“Wait a minute, what about you?” Without thinking, Cheng Li took a step forward, frowning as he looked at the lone figure. “Is someone picking you up? I drove here, I can take you to the movie theater. You don’t have to walk all the way—” 

Before he could finish speaking, a young man appeared beside Jian Xie, causing him to stop abruptly.

It was the evil god.

He squinted and glanced at him.

“……”

Cheng Li’s words took a detour. “I suddenly remembered that my car ran out of gas.” 

He chuckled dryly a few times.

If you meddle in someone else’s relationship, you’ll be struck by lightning.

Moreover, he had already experienced firsthand how possessive this evil god was on several occasions.

……

After saying goodbye to Cheng Li, Jian Xie quickly left the residential building and went out onto the street.

There weren’t many pedestrians on the road. He and Qin Zhuo walked one after the other, without a care for the time.

Neither of them mentioned going directly to the movie theater. Instead, they strolled aimlessly along the road, as if they could walk like that forever.

“I’m wondering if I brought death to your side.”

After a long pause, Qin Zhuo’s voice suddenly rang out from behind. “You actually know that it’s right about one thing, and that’s true.” 

Without his token, he would not have died 67 times, and his mind and memory wouldn’t have fallen into chaos.

Upon hearing this, Jian Xie stopped in his tracks.

He turned around and looked at the evil god standing very close to him.

Although he still maintained that arrogant demeanor, looking at people with a lazy air, one could not ignore the dark emotions churning within his dark crimson eyes.

Unexpectedly, he took a step forward, embraced the evil god before him, and buried himself in the other’s arms.

And so he missed Qin Zhuo’s rare, stunned expression.

“But without you, I would have died long ago.” He suppressed his emotions and tightened his arms around the other person’s waist. “I really like you, just as much as you like me.” 

The evil god may not have realized which of his words caused Jian Xie’s feelings for him to change.

He said that he came into this world for his sake.

Qin Zhuo always believed that he was the one who awakened him from hell and made him realize what emotions, love, and possession were.

Qin Zhuo didn’t realize what his appearance, which had broken the cycle, truly meant for Jian Xie at those moments when he repeatedly grasped death and approached hell, when he thought the world was gray and black and was about to give up all hope and succumb to fear.

“I remember now.”

Buried in the other’s arms, Jian Xie’s voice sounded somewhat muffled. “The moment you appeared.” 

It was only after he had finally obtained the fourth dagger that the image, long buried in his memory, surfaced in his mind.

The night was split open by the raging fire, and the figure of the evil god emerged little by little from the darkness. He walked towards him with a smirk and casually took his hand.

Then, the entire illusory world made way for It.

It was It who brought him back to reality.

With that thought, Jian Xie loosened his grip slightly, moved a little further away, and gently touched Qin Zhuo’s hand.

The touch remained the same.

As if in response to some signal, the evil god immediately grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, forcefully inserting his fingers between them until they were interlocked.

His breath landed on Jian Xie’s head, intertwining with the strands of hair.

It was a little itchy, but he didn’t want to move away.

The only difference from the previous time was one thing.

Qin Zhuo has already taken physical form.

And this whole process was as if, It had descended into the world once again for him, with him bearing witness.

The evil god stayed by his side, sharing his time, abilities, and future under the guise of sharing his body.

“Let’s go to the movie theater.”

Jian Xie raised her eyes, meeting Qin Zhuo’s gaze, just like a year ago when they first met. “As for the plans on the list, we can do them all, just the two of us.” 

After all, they still have plenty of time.

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  There is a Chinese saying “A good cabbage has been arched/dug up by a pig”. This humorous and slightly cynical metaphor is used to express disbelief or frustration when a wonderful, sweet, or well-nurtured person (the “cabbage”) ends up with someone who is considered unworthy, undesirable, or reckless (the “pig”). (googled this up) ↩︎