《Falling In Love With The Grim Reaper》


 CH 1

    Chapter 1: Return To The Past


    June 11, 2005, Time: 5:10 in the afternoon


    Location: Chunnan City, outside of Qingshui District, beside the road.


    The Grim Reaper from the future lowered his hand and once again determined the time on his watch¡ªit was correct.


    According to the pointers he found on the natal chart[1] before setting off, he only needed to wait here for a few minutes before he could see the person he was about to meet coming from the other side of the road.


    It was raining.


    The Grim Reaper hated the rain, if he had paid more attention to the weather forecast before setting out he might not have chosen this time.


    Within a short period, the rain drummed wildly. The hair and the black robe of the Grim Reaper were soaked. The drops of rain kept dripping down the tips of his hair and it fell onto his neck, which was colder than his body temperature.


    The vehicles sped by and the pedestrians on the street lessened. The rain faintly diffused the smell of yellow cypress, emitting fragrance.


    The Grim Reaper frowned in disgust, he didn¡¯t like anything sweet or greasy.


    At that moment, the protagonist of this space-time continuum arrived late¡ªa young boy.


    The God of Death leapt back from the future to this space-time, just to take the boy away in advance.


    On the opposite side of the road, the traffic lights on the sidewalk were flashing, the dreamy lights reflected in the puddles.


    The little fella was holding a small red umbrella with ears on the top, he wore a pair of yellow rain boots, skipping steps like a poisonous little mushroom[2].


    Children dressed like this were quite common but not all children liked to step on puddles.


    Little Mushroom crossed the road and didn¡¯t seem to care at all. He focused on stepping into the puddles. Every time he stepped into a puddle, he giggled happily. After playing for a long time, he walked through the short, pale zebra crossing.


    Almost immediately after he finished walking, the countdown to the red light was over and a turning vehicle whizzed past him.


    ¡°Hey, little kid, are you looking for death?¡± From a distance, you could still hear the driver¡¯s scolding.


    If the vehicle passed just a little bit early then this little mushroom would have died on the spot.


    This was a moment of death.


    It was precisely this time that the Grim Reaper chose to accurately jump through space-time and find this little mushroom¡ªfive-year-old Chi Jiayan.


    Everyone recorded in the natal chart will have many near-death experiences in their lives. Maybe it was a time when one missed a bus that would encounter an accident, might¡¯ve happened to have avoided a flowerpot that fell from a high altitude or when suddenly being robbed by someone with a knife when walking on the road¡­ Exactly when did they die? In most cases, people can¡¯t choose for themselves.


    Chi Jiayan was a special case.


    Because Chi Jiayan took the initiative to choose his own death one day in the future.


    He chose to sacrifice his own life, saving twenty-three lives that should have died with him in one fell swoop, at the age of twenty-seven.


    Half an hour before his death, he quarrelled with an older woman because she was cutting in line, he snatched a child¡¯s candyfloss and made him cry. After all this, he even smoked a whole cigarette slowly and methodically in the No-Smoking area, regardless of dissuasion and cursed several security guards.


    In short, he was low tempered and vulgar, not a decent human being in the ordinary sense.


    On one hand, the Grim Reaper was very curious about him.


    On the other hand, the natal chart did not allow such a huge blunder.


    The Grim Reaper must return to a suitable time of death and change what might happen in the future. Originally, those twenty-three lives should have ended on time.


    The five-year-old Chi Jiayan was so frightened that he dared not to move. Behind him, the car¡¯s honk repeated continuously[3] which was ear-splitting[4].


    Upon seeing this, the Grim Reaper released a trace of spiritual power, prompting Chi Jiayan to move forward. Unexpectedly, as soon as he was mobile, the other party turned his small face to look in the direction where he stood.


    He strode towards the Grim Reaper.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you wearing a mask?¡± questioned the soft voice.


    Chi Jiayan looked at him with a pair of big watery eyes, his small face was white and tender like a glutinous rice dumpling just out of the pot[5]. His pupils reflected the Grim Reaper¡¯s tall figure and white mask. His face reflected signs of ignorance[6], where were the traces of bad appearance after growing up?


    Grim Reaper¡¯s brows wrinkled under the mask again.


    He miscalculated, how could he forget that this person was from this space-time and he, the older Chi Jiayan, was from the future.


    ¡°Did you not bring an umbrella?¡± Chi Jiayan raised his head and asked, ¡°Would you like to take mine?¡±


    The Grim Reaper said indifferently, ¡°No need.¡±


    ¡°But you are all wet,¡± Chi Jiayan blinked his eyes.


    The Grim Reaper looked a little embarrassed.


    Although he was chilly and wearing a creepy mask, he couldn¡¯t change the distressing fact that he was soaked and dripping from the tips of his hair.


    One young man and one little boy stood facing each other in the rain for a while, the air was filled with the refreshing fragrance of Huang Jue Lan[7].


    Chi Jiayan gave out a brief sigh and lowered his head to find something.


    Chi Jiayan was still very short, when he lowered his head the Grim Reaper could only see the top of the red umbrella and a pair of boot tips. The little ears on top of the umbrella were hit by the rain and fluttered repeatedly so on and so forth, stubborn and persevering, just like their owner.


    ¡°Gege, you squat down a bit,¡± Chi Jiayan tilted his head and beckoned with his little hand, the umbrella handle rested on his shoulder.


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Squat down,¡± Chi Jiayan repeated.


    The Grim Reaper squatted down.


    Chi Jiayan wiped the water droplets from the Grim Reaper¡¯s hair.


    ¡°My Mom said that if you don¡¯t use an umbrella on rainy days then you will catch a cold,¡± Chi Jiayan smiled, revealing a pair of small pear vortexes[8] on his cheeks, very cute, ¡°Jia Jia will help you to wipe your hair dry, it will be done in a while. Then you won¡¯t catch a cold and you don¡¯t have to go to the hospital for injections. Injections are very painful.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t catch a cold,¡± The Grim Reaper¡¯s voice had a metallic texture.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t ask why but nodded heavily, ¡°OK!¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s body also had a little fragrance.


    The Grim Reaper caught a glimpse of a Huang Jue Lan hanging around his neck. The beige flower was crossed and tied with a red thread, which represented the love of the elders.


    Suddenly there was a scream of a kitten but it seemed to die down in the downpour.


    Chi Jiayan stopped the movement of his hand, his round eyes widened suddenly, ¡± A cat¡¯s voice? ! ¡°


    The Grim Reaper also heard the meowing sound.


    Oh, yes, the Grim Reaper hated cats too.


    On top of his black robe, the golden beast totem[9] also trembled violently.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t notice the sudden chilliness. He put the handkerchief into his pocket and stepped in the rain to follow the cat¡¯s meow into the roadside green belt[10]. There was a cardboard box in the green belt, which collapsed completely after being drenched in rain and inside it was a dying black kitten, whimpering.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Chi Jiayan waved from the green belt, ¡°Gege, there is a little cat here.¡±


    The Grim Reaper was indifferent.


    Chi Jiayan babbled and threw away the small umbrella, as he had gotten deeper inside. After a while, he came out holding a kitten with a bloody abdomen.


    He looked ridiculous with leaves on his head, pale face was covered with mud. He looked agitated as if he met a fierce enemy[11].


    ¡°Gege, the kitty is injured!¡± Chi Jiayan cried, ¡°We have to send it to the hospital!¡±


    The Grim Reaper said, ¡°It will die soon.¡±


    He was right, the cat was almost lifeless.


    ¡°I¡¯ll save it!¡± After Chi Jiayan finished speaking, he turned around and ran to another place, ¡°There is a pet hospital ahead!¡±


    He ran too quickly. He was still a child and simply forgot to take the umbrella. Before he had said seriously that he (Grim Reaper) would catch a cold when he got caught in the rain but he seemed to have forgotten all about it now.


    The little red umbrella was turned over in the rain and a gust of wind swirled by, blowing it far away.


    Chi Jiayan ran for a short distance and then stopped, beckoning to him: ¡°Gege! Come on! Let¡¯s save it together!¡±


    The Grim Reaper narrowed his eyes.


    He remembered the scene of Chi Jiayan¡¯s death twenty-two years later.


    Please read here at Silver Fortress TL website


    The author has something to say:


    It¡¯s a new article, private settings are used in this article so no textual criticism is allowed. Just read it casually.


    This article is from Gong¡¯s perspective because the complete narrative of the incidents from his perspective is more vivid.


    Footnotes:


    [1]natal chart¨C Birth Chart which includes information about life and death


    [2]poisonous little mushroom¨C someone who is very mischievous


    [3]c¨«q¨«-b¨«f¨²¨C idiom translated ¨C ¡®as one falls, other rises¡¯. or rise one after another, simply translated into repeated continuously


    [4]zh¨¨n¡¯¨§r-y¨´l¨®ng¨C idiom translated into ¡®ear-splitting¡¯ or ¡®deafening¡¯


    [5]


    [6]signs of ignorance¨C ¡®not aware of the complexity of the world¡¯, i.e being simple-minded


    [7]hu¨¢ngju¨¦l¨¢n(»ÆèöÀ¼)¨C Source: zhihu


    [8]pear vortexes¨C kind of dimple


    [9]golden beast totem¨C a symbolic object that is believed to have spiritual significance


    [10]green belt¨C a green belt is an area of land with fields or parks around a town or city, where people are not allowed to build houses or factories by law.


    [11]r¨²l¨ªnd¨¤d¨ª¨C idiom translated into ¡®as if meeting a great enemy¡¯ i.e being cautious

 CH 2

    Chapter 2: On The Day Of Death (1)


    It was a sunny day.


    A new amusement park had been opened in City A, covering an area of ??one thousand acres, which had attracted many local and foreign tourists.


    The Grim Reaper would carry off twenty-four souls from here on this day.


    Grim Reaper randomly bought a glass of lemon ice water from a cold beverage shop. His fingers were pale and slender, his thin lips leaning against the straw appeared as cold as the edge of a blade[1]. However, his frosty appearance made the young girls, who originally wanted to step forward to strike up a conversation, retreat backwards[2].


    After leaving the cold beverage shop, the Grim Reaper took out a mask from his pocket and put it on, soon afterwards his figure disappeared. He had come here for work.


    The amusement park was filled with cheerful laughter and noise in the afternoon. Occasionally, there were screeches of people after experiencing thrilling rides. People were here for the excitement and they were enjoying it.


    Groups of tourists were walking around, as it was the weekend, parents along with their children swaying balloons in the air could be seen everywhere. Not long after, several routine performances began inside the amusement park.


    The clown riding a unicycle, the performance of an entertainer dressed as a princess in a fairy tale, and marionettes filled the whole atmosphere with joy. The actors presented wonderful performances and performed iconic dances along with the music now and then, which made the crowd of onlookers more exhilarated and the place swarmed with more people.


    ¡°Don¡¯t squeeze behind me!¡± A middle-aged woman¡¯s voice came.


    The Grim Reaper followed the sound and caught a glimpse of a beautiful young man.


    The other party had a fair complexion, his hair was dyed chestnut and he was dressed in a flimsy manner. The young man sneered frivolously, ¡°Auntie, your butt is so big, why are you standing in the front row? I can¡¯t see clearly from this position.¡±


    The middle-aged woman was flushed with anger, ¡°What are you talking about! You uncultured thing!¡±


    ¡°Such a huge temper in the morning[3]? Is it because menopause has made your sex-life incongruous?¡± The young man¡¯s eyes were full of malicious ridicule.


    ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± the middle-aged woman cursed, slamming at him fiercely with the bag in her hand then immediately moving to another position.


    The young man wasn¡¯t irritated after being hit by the bag, his lips moved slightly, and said something faintly. The middle-aged woman who had just walked a bit away suddenly split her pants from the middle of her hips. People present there immediately burst into laughter. The middle-aged woman was so embarrassed that she used her bag to block her buttocks, which seemed big enough to rip her pants. She turned back her head and cursed even harder.


    Interesting.


    Grim Reaper thought as he took a sip of the iced lemon water.


    These two people happened to be two of the twenty-four people destined to die on this day.


    Because their death was nearing[4], almost all of their qi[5] became pure black, especially the qi of the young man, which had gone black from head to ankle. This made the golden beast totem on the black robes of the Grim Reaper agitated.


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Grim Reaper said.


    The golden beast totem stopped and obediently became still as before.


    The Grim Reaper followed the young man with the most implacable, dense qi and found him more and more fascinating because this person went to court disaster[6] incessantly.


    The Grim Reaper searched for the identity of this young man in his divine consciousness, M-Hm¡­it turned out that he had a speech spirit[7], no wonder he could retaliate against others through words. This person was twenty-seven years old this year, his surname was Chi and his given name was Jiayan.


    This name was pretty good.


    Chi Jiayan¨C the word Jia meant not only praise but also joy, union, and happiness. Words, of course, are a small token of appreciation. These two words(Jiayan) together were the same as ¡°beautiful language[8]¡° which would attract one¡¯s attention[9] at first glance. Because it meant that the owner of the name would utter auspicious words in the future.


    Unfortunately, this person did not grasp the meaning and properly amalgamate with his character. It was useless to rectify now.


    After watching the performance, Chi Jiayan went to a pavilionin the shade and lit a cigarette.


    He was indeed alluring, with almond eyes, a tall nose, red lips, and white teeth. He was twenty-seven years old and had a slight youthfulness. As soon as he walked in, everyone in the pavilion couldn¡¯t help looking at him a few times, secretly amazed.


    Chi Jiayan was smoking a cigarette, playing with the smoke ring casually, his actions were very unruly.


    A girl next to him finally couldn¡¯t help it, ¡°Brother, this is a no-smoking area.¡±


    Chi Jiayan smiled which revealed a pair of pear vortexes, ¡°Huh?¡±


    The girl was struck by his smile and the finger that was pointing at the ¡°No Smoking¡± sign on the wall was also retracted, her face turned red. Her boyfriend was next to her and probably felt jealous by seeing her like that so he walked out without saying a word.


    The girl turned and looked at Chi Jiayan again before dashing out.


    ¡°If your trust level is so low then sooner or later both of you will break up,¡± Chi Jiayan spit out the smoke ring, muttering to himself in disapproval.


    A pregnant woman was also in the pavilion, presumably accompanying her daughter to play, their family of three was resting inside. Her husband seemed comparatively cowardly and seeing that no one stopped Chi Jiayan, he took it upon himself to speak, ¡°Hey, handsome man[10] Can you please put out the cigarette? My wife is pregnant.¡±


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t even look at him when he replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, a patriarchal[11] can¡¯t give birth to a daughter and your wife¡¯s baby is also not a son anyway.¡±


    The pregnant woman was furious, ¡°Who are you calling a patriarchal?¡±


    Chi Jiayan smiled without saying anything and continued smoking.


    He was simply vicious.


    The two married couples there took their children and left in anger.


    The pavilion was empty. Chi Jiayan took out his mobile phone and made a call, ¡°Mr Ling, I just had a look around and found that the facilities here are much better than yours. Although the amusement park is newly opened, it¡¯s only a matter of time until customers have been taken away and their business will be better than yours. It¡¯s a new era now, if you don¡¯t update the facilities there then it¡¯s useless to look for me.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t clear what the other party was saying but Chi Jiayan said, ¡°No. If I post too much, I will die. President Ling, you might be unaware of this¡­.I, at most, can let something happen here and hype it up to cause some negative impacts and scare away the tourists¡­..the amount must not be a penny less and I can¡¯t guarantee the effect. You may as well put away your little tampering, if someone dies then it¡¯ll be investigated.


    His attitude was carefree and it was clear that he was usually an idle person, surviving on a bit of gifted spiritual power.


    It could be seen that after making money he was in a good mood. Obviously, he was here to do bad things but he comfortably smoked a whole cigarette before walking out slowly.


    Little did he realize that his qi was even more deadly.


    Walking out of the pavilion, Chi Jiayan went towards a small stall selling candyfloss. The vendor was surrounded by several people in high spirits, concentrating on the stirring candyfloss. Chi Jiayan seemed to be attracted by the sweet fragrance of the candyfloss so he watched for a while with his hands in the air. When a big and round candyfloss was ready, he snatched it first.


    ¡°No need to look for it,¡± he licked it pleasantly after throwing down a bill.


    The child who had reached out for the candyfloss suddenly burst into tears.


    The parents gasped, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are adults snatching childrens¡¯ stuff now?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by snatching?¡± Chi Jiayan said, ¡°It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t pay for it. The candyfloss has your name on it?¡±


    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m too lazy to talk to people like you,¡± The parents didn¡¯t bother to talk to him anymore and turned to educate their children, ¡°Baby stop crying, we are not like these scoundrels and must not learn from him.¡±


    The child did not listen for any reason and cried even louder. This little kid was so cute that he evoked sympathy when he cried, the onlookers condemned Chi Jiayan and cast contemptuous glances at him.


    ¡°Yeah, why is he so uneducated¡­¡±


    ¡°Looks are good but personality is rotten¡­.¡±


    The vendor was a businessman and a little more mellow, ¡°Don¡¯t cry little one, I¡¯ll make you the biggest one right away.¡±


    Chi Jiayan said grimly from the sidelines, ¡°Don¡¯t do it. Your fingers are about to get injured.¡±


    He left after speaking, leaving behind the vendor with a dazed expression, ¡°This guy is neurotic, right?¡±


    The vendor was indignant and said a few words about Ji Jiayan but the candyfloss-making machine suddenly broke, he didn¡¯t know where it got stuck. The vendor was a good old man. He smiled and turned to check the machine¡¯s main engine on his own. Within a few minutes he screamed in agony and a large chunk of skin was strangled off his finger by the mainframe.


    His blood split all over the floor.


    The people waiting to buy candyfloss scattered, shrieking in terror, while the vendor almost curled up on the ground in a sweaty heap of pain.


    The little kid, who had never seen such a bloody scene before, immediately clung to his parents, his cries got stuck in his throat after crying for a long time.


    The culprit of the destruction, Chi Jiayan, looked back from a distance indifferently.


    Someone had called the security and a couple of several security guards found him.


    Grim Reaper stood at a distance, expecting that the security guards were probably going to search Chi Jiayan. After all, the vendor was injured right after he had spoken so he was the prime suspect.


    Chi Jiayan allowed them to search while eating candyfloss.


    Finally, he coldly spoke, ¡°You better find some evidence, otherwise, you will not be able to keep your jobs and will be fired.


    The security guard did not believe his nefarious words, ¡°Who are you scaring?¡±


    Chi Jiayan, however, smiled again, revealing a pair of dimples sweetly, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m scaring you.¡±


    The burly security guards didn¡¯t take his threats seriously. Of course, after inspection, they found nothing and had to leave one after another. After Chi Jiayan finished eating that huge cotton candy, he seemed to lick his lips as if he was still hungry, like a gluttonous and sinister cat.


    Chi Jiayan wandered around for a while, meeting many people on his way who were haunted by the same deadly qi as him and destined to die with him.


    In one way or another, these people were miraculously linked together by the natal chart.


    The iced lemon water in Grim Reaper¡¯s hand was finished and it was time to get back to work.


    He felt that for people like Chi Jiayan, who tried to retaliate against society like this, even death wasn¡¯t enough to erase their dreadful crimes[12].

 CH 3

    ¡°This handsome man[1], please get in line,¡± someone spoke in a disgruntled voice.


    Chi Jiayan showed a constipated smile[2], the words ¡°What are you gonna do if I don¡¯t?¡± written on his face.


    The man continued to grumble that he was a human but behaved like a dog[3], did not have the quality to cut in line and so on. Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t care about any of it at all and it seemed that he couldn¡¯t hear other people¡¯s negative evaluation of him, continuing to do as he pleased[4]. The giant hammer swing ride[5]  was a must-play item in the amusement park and it was a newly opened park so there were a lot of people queuing.


    Soon, along with Chi Jiayan, all the tourists behind him were coincidentally[6] the same as those who had been inextricably linked with him a moment ago.


    Apart from the pregnant woman, everyone chose to go on this ride.


    There were shrieks high up in the sky, some people were crying in fear, others were screaming in excitement and the people in line raised their heads. What a thrill, everyone thought.


    Half an hour later, it was finally their turn.


    Everyone got on the ship-style hammer swing in order and the staff member fastened the safety buckles one by one.


    The parent of the child whose candyfloss was snatched by Chi Jiayan was also on the hammer swing, waving happily at the child outside the fence. That young couple was in the row behind Chi Jiayan. The girl was acting like a spoiled child to the boy, saying that she was scared and the boy was patiently consoling her, they seemed to have reconciled. The pregnant woman¡¯s daughter and husband were right next to Chi Jiayan. On the contrary, the man who was the father was frightened, while the daughter had an exuberant look on her face. The middle-aged woman with split pants was in the front row and after seeing Chi Jiayan¡¯s sunken complexion, she became very upset.


    From front and rear, a total of twenty-four people were seated.


    Deadly qi skyrocketed.


    The Grim Reaper had long since stealthily hidden his figure and blended in among them.


    He remained silent, watching the final moments of these dying people with dull eyes.


    None of these people knew that the long life they thought they had would cease with a grunting sound[7] this afternoon.


    After a short beep, the giant hammer swing slowly began to move.


    Some people were so nervous that they gripped onto the handrails before they even started and closed their eyes in fright.


    Nevertheless, Chi Jiayan¡¯s expression was one of contentment.


    His profile was exquisite, along with the movement of the giant hammer swing he would gaze at the blue sky and look down at the ground from time to time as if his eyes could see nothing worthwhile all around[8] and ignorant of fear. Perhaps, he needed this kind of stimulation, otherwise, he was no different from a puppet without a heart.


    The giant hammer swing was getting more and more rapid, and the arc was getting wider. As the adrenaline soared, the majority of people in the front like the previous few groups, began to rip apart in screams.


    At that moment, there was a loud ¡°click¡± that everyone could hear clearly.


    ¡°The card groove is broken!¡± someone shouted, it was the boy from the young couple.


    Everyone looked up and sure enough, the card groove at the top of the giant hammer swing was breaking apart at a rate visible to a layman¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Help!!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and stop it!! Help!!¡±


    The people below didn¡¯t even know that something was wrong, and some laughed at the tourists who went up there, for being timid.


    As the giant hammer swing rocked at a high level, another section of the card groove broke off. Everyone¡¯s complexion went pale, some people almost fainted in fright and others had sweat as big as a soybean[9] and acted like a dumb fish[10].


    Death was so close to them, as long as it disconnected a bit more, they would all die for sure.


    ¡°Dad¡­Dad!¡± The little girl pulled her father¡¯s hand, ¡°Dad Ahhh~¡±


    The father¡¯s face was as white as paper and his body trembled from head to foot, unable to speak.


    The girl among the young couple also cried out during the deadly oscillation of the giant hammer swing, ¡°Help! I don¡¯t want to die, Ah!!! ¡ª¡ª¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s complexion was also quite unsightly.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­.¡±


    ¡°Help!! Hurry up and stop it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die, help!!¡±


    The parent was so scared that he unlocked the safety buckle and tried to jump off from the giant hammer swing!


    ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t be stupid! We¡¯re not going to die!¡± He cried out all of a sudden, but no one could hear him, ¡°You will definitely die if you jump now!¡±


    Some people couldn¡¯t endure such a situation and began to vomit violently. Vomit mixed with the foul smell of urine spilt downwards from high above.


    Amidst the mixture of ghost-like wails and howling of wolves[11], Chi Jiayan closed his eyes.


    ¡°The card groove will not be disconnected,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°Click¡±, the card groove severed again and the iron sheet was dangling.


    At the same time, a tube of blood immediately came out of Chi Jiayan¡¯s nose, frighteningly.


    Grim Reaper looked at him coldly.


    Nobody in the world can change the natal chart.


    It was a useless effort.


    ¡°The card groove must not be disconnected,¡± Chi Jiayan spoke a little louder.


    Shortly after that, he made a louder cry and by the end, his mouth was full of blood almost spurting out; if he continued any longer then he would be killed by the counterattack of the speech spirit.


    Shouldn¡¯t a person like him have to cherish his life?


    No one noticed his abnormality.


    Chi Jiayan was already an arrow at the end of its flight[12], his eyes were closed and his ears began to bleed.


    An intangible force was vying with him in the dark.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Chi Jiayan said, a look akin to mockery appearing on his face.


    It wasn¡¯t clear whether he was laughing at himself or sneering at those who fear death.


    A low, exuberant wolf howl came from the violently agitated golden thread totem[13] moving up on the Grim Reaper.


    It was the last moment.


    Just at this moment, the Grim Reaper heard a voice¡ª¡±Press the stop button.¡±


    It was Chi Jiayan. He already understood that he could not control the card groove that was destined to be disconnected, however¡ªhe could control the person operating the machine below.


    Chi Jiayan murmured, ¡°Press the stop button immediately if you discover anything unusual here. Please.¡±


    More blood was spilling over from his nose and mouth and his spiritual power was surging crazily, on the verge of exploding. Yet, he didn¡¯t stop talking and kept repeating unceasingly. Even though he was marching alone to the brink of death, he wanted the people on the giant hammer swing to live.


    ¡°Blood! So much blood! I¡¯m going to die, I¡¯m going to die¡­!!!¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s blood splattered on the body of the parent who had scolded him. The man thought it was his own blood and immediately started crying out loud.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a noise,¡± Chi Jiayan tried his best, ¡°If you want to survive, don¡¯t make a damn noise!¡±


    An almost sincere look appeared on his face at that moment, his lips were still muttering.


    The Grim Reaper descended in front of him and said coldly: ¡°Speak anymore and you will die.¡±


    Chi Jiayan opened his eyes that were smeared with blood and was stunned to see the Grim Reaper, then he smiled nonchalantly: ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Not willing to drag other people to the grave[14] with you?¡± Grim Reaper¡¯s voice transmitted into his mind, ¡°Anyway, they¡¯re all going to die.¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s head drooped.


    ¡°One to twenty-three, that¡¯s a deal I won¡¯t lose.¡±


    More than ten seconds later, the movement of the giant hammer swing stopped.


    A loud, ear-piercing ¡°squeak¡± was the epilogue to the end of the death call.


    The manager ran out to look at them high up in the air, equally so scared that his three souls and seven spirits[15] almost ceased to exist. In a split second, these people would have died in his hands! Instead of sticking to his job, he started the machine then played the Gluttonous Snake game on his phone. At the last moment, he didn¡¯t know why he suddenly heard the wails on the giant hammer swing and by the doings of ghosts and gods[16], he pressed the stop button.


    The Grim Reaper floated in the air, the golden thread totem on his black coat leapt up and rushed into mid-air. In an instant, a huge ink coloured wolf emerged and it roared in a low voice. Those deadly qi entwined with Chi Jiayan immediately condensed into an orb that was rapidly held in its mouth.


    All the people went down the giant hammer swing with weak, shaking legs, crying. They were so shocked that they could barely walk steadily.


    All twenty-three people were saved.


    ¡°There is one more person who hasn¡¯t come down!¡± Someone from the onlookers yelled.


    ¡°Did he faint from fear?¡± Another person said.


    As everyone was babbling[17], the manager stepped forward and lifted Chi Jiayan¡¯s weak and drooping head, but he was frightened enough to wet his pants in terror[18]and lingered far away.


    The manager sat on the ground, paralyzed: ¡°Dead, dead!¡±


    Someone was daring enough to walk over and held Chi Jiayan¡¯s head to look at it, only to be surprised that the seven apertures[19] of his pretty face were shedding blood. His complexion looks purplish and terrible, obviously no longer depicting any signs of life.


    ¡°Dead!!¡±


    Screams sprang up from everywhere, the scene was extremely chaotic.


    Chi Jiayan was dead.


    Despite being aware that he would be devoured and killed if he fought back and could only save others but not himself, he still chose to utter those words.


    So the spirit of those words chose his own death.


    ¡°Blue Wind.¡±


    When the Grim Reaper held out his hand, the gigantic wolf crept down and lowered his head, obediently spitting out Chi Jiayan¡¯s spirit orb.


    The black orb was heavy and darker than anyone¡¯s spirit orb that the Grim Reaper had ever seen.


    It is often said that the purer and cleaner the soul, the more transparent it is. Indeed, this is the case. When a person dies, the soul will naturally form a spiritual orb and will be placed into the natal chart to start the next reincarnation. The Grim Reaper had seen spirit orbs of many great evildoers, most of which were just grey or almost black, not pure black.


    The spirit orb of this speech spirit was even darker than that of the great evil ones.


    However, there was a faint light hidden amidst the blackness.


    In this chaotic and woeful world, those happiness, joy, anger and grief[20] of the mortal¡¯s renewed life after the calamity[21] had nothing to do with the Grim Reaper.


    The young couple turned their heads and saw Chi Jiayan who was still on the giant hammer swing. Witnessing the death of someone with their own eyes made them weep in each other¡¯s arms[22], but they didn¡¯t know that it was this annoying young man who had saved them.


    Grim Reaper¡¯s gaze was drawn to this light within the blackness. In an instant, he split the spirit orb into two halves with a little effort. His pupils immediately dilated uncontrollably, because even the Grim Reaper had never seen such a clean and pure internal space of a spirit orb!


    The inside of the spirit orb of this speech spirit turned out to be transparent!


    What a strange soul, the likes of which have never been seen before!


    Below, Chi Jiayan¡¯s body was being untied from his seat, people still called an ambulance that was carrying him on a stretcher. The parent covered the child¡¯s eyes, the young couple was no longer present and the middle-aged woman with her clothes wrapped around her waist to block the split plants was looking in disbelief.


    When Chi Jiayan¡¯s head tilted, only then did the Grim Reaper notice that there was a cloud-like tattoo behind Chi Jiayan¡¯s white ear, which was very familiar.


    The watch on the Grim Reaper¡¯s wrist beeped.


    The natal chart had issued a new order that the Grim Reaper must return to the past this instant and choose the moment of death that will have the least impact on the future, and erase Chi Jiayan¡¯s existence in advance.

 CH 4

    Lightning struck over the horizon, and after a delay, there was a thunderclap.


    Chi Jiayan ran quickly.


    His little figure ran around the entire block in the rain.


    Sure enough, just as Chi Jiayan said, there was a hospital called ¡°Caring Pets¡± not far away. In actuality, it wasn¡¯t much of a hospital, but rather a small-scale pet clinic. In such bad weather, apart from the foster animals, the clinic was virtually empty. The only two veterinarians on site were also very busy.


    Chi Jiayan was too small. He tried several times to push the heavy glass door open, but he couldn¡¯t.


    The Grim Reaper stood behind him.


    Chi Jiayan turned around and said, ¡°Gege, can you push the door open for me?¡±


    The rain adhered to Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyelashes. He couldn¡¯t even open his eyes properly, causing the insides of his pupils to appear extra dark.


    The Grim Reaper¡¯s mask hid his face and blocked his expressions, making him look like he was standing there aimlessly. His mask was pure white with only two holes where the eyes were for vision. If it was anyone else looking at him, they would shudder at this weird appearance.


    Chi Jiayan hadn¡¯t felt any of these fears. It was possible he just regarded the Grim Reaper as a cosplay lover. Seeing the Grim Reaper just standing there silently, he became so anxious that he had no choice but to pound on the glass door, shouting, ¡°Uncle¡ªUncle Doctor¡ªquickly open the door!¡±


    The shrillness of his child¡¯s voice made the Grim Reaper¡¯s head ache.


    In fact, he couldn¡¯t stand children. He thought little kids were noisy and annoying creatures.


    Fortunately, Chi Jiayan was a speech spirit. With a voice that loud, the veterinarian inside could hear it no matter how absorbed he was in watching the TV.


    ¡°Kid, what¡¯s the matter?¡± A fat vet opened the door.


    ¡°Uncle Doctor, this little kitty¡¯s hurt.¡± Chi Jiayan opened his clothes to reveal a little black cat curled up by his stomach. Probably because he only remembered halfway through running that he had forgotten his umbrella, he hid the cat in his clothes, afraid that it would get caught in the rain.


    The kid¡¯s shirt was stained with blood. The fat vet took the cat, surprised. ¡°Quickly, come inside.¡±


    The Grim Reaper also followed in. The vet asked about the origin of the cat, and Chi Jiayan responded in his childish voice. No one noticed that the temperature in the small pet clinic had dropped suddenly, all due to the Grim Reaper¡¯s honored presence.


    The other, thin vet turned off the air conditioner and said, ¡°The weather is so strange lately. It was hot and stuffy just now, so why is it so cold all of a¡ªwas this cat hit by a car?¡±


    The fat vet put the kitten on the examination bench, probing it gently. ¡°Yes, it was. Its stomach is injured, and the ribs are also poking out.¡±


    Chi Jiayan was so anxious that he subconsciously grabbed onto the Grim Reaper¡¯s hand, asking, ¡°Will the kitty die?¡±


    The fat doctor was kind. He thought for a while. ¡°It¡¯s not certain yet. Though, it has suffered a serious injury, so the possibility of saving it is very slim.¡±


    Whatever he said next, the Grim Reaper wasn¡¯t listening.


    His attention was turned to the little hand wrapped around his finger. An indescribable emotion enveloped the Grim Reaper in an instant.


    Mbg atberjcvr bo sfjgr, tf agjnfifv jibcf jgbecv atf kbgiv. Pa tjv yffc j ibcu, ibcu alwf rlcmf tf tjv jcs qtsrlmji mbcajma klat jcsbcf.


    Ktf tjcv kjr afcvfg, rwjii, jcv kjgw, mbwqifafis vloofgfca ogbw atf mbiv tjcv bo atf Xglw Efjqfg.


    Pc atf fsfr bo atf Xglw Efjqfg, j ogbra kjr wfialcu ilaaif ys ilaaif, pera ilxf wfialcu rcbk. Llr tfjga ofia ilxf la tjv yffc ralggfv ys j ofjatfg, jcv tf olcjiis gfjilhfv pera tbk meaf atlr mtliv kjr.


    ¡°¡­I have money!¡± After talking for a while, Chi Jiayan suddenly raised his voice.


    At the same time, the Grim Reaper looked down to see the top of Chi Jiayan¡¯s hair. His hair was black, and the strands were limply attached to his scalp from the wet. Chi Jiayan pulled out money from his pocket, unfurling the crumpled ball.


    It was twenty seven dollars and five cents.


    The thin vet: ¡°¡­Kid, is this all your money?¡±


    ¡°This is the money I was gonna use to buy takeout just now!¡± Chi Jiayan said. ¡°I have more at home,  Ican go get it!¡±


    ¡°You went out to buy takeout by yourself when you¡¯re only five years old?¡± asked the fat vet.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Chi Jiayan nodded. ¡°My parents are too busy with work. I¡¯ve been very good.¡±


    Parents?


    The Grim Reaper once again noticed the yellow magnolia hanging around Chi Jiayan¡¯s neck on a red string. He¡¯d read the natal chart before he set off. This child had the fate of being the bane of others¡¯ existence. He was doomed to be alone for a lifetime, regardless of parents, relatives, or friends. If this was the case, the child¡¯s parents were still alive, so the Grim Reaper couldn¡¯t just take him away.


    The reason was that the impact on the future would be too great, and other people¡¯s fates would be disturbed.


    The Grim Reaper would have to choose a different death instance.


    ¡°Uncle Doctor, please save the kitten, I¡¯m going home to get the money now!¡±


    After Chi Jiayan finished speaking, he was about to run back out, but the skinny vet quickly grabbed him. ¡°Don¡¯t rush! It¡¯s still raining outside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have Gege come with me!¡± Chi Jiayan took the Grim Reaper¡¯s hand and left.


    The remaining two vets exchanged glances. What gege?


    Perhaps children with high emotional intelligence weren¡¯t afraid of strangers. In the event of saving the injured kitten, Chi Jiayan really wanted to see it all the way through with the same stranger. The Grim Reaper was towed away by the hand. Along the way, he encountered several wandering spirits, all of them huddled in dark corners, watching them like they had seen ghosts themselves, though their own appearances were even more frightening.


    Chi Jiayan should have noticed these spirits too, but he turned a blind eye to them. It was hard to imagine a five year-old child growing up surrounded by such circumstances.


    ¡°It¡¯s that lord! Why is he still here?!¡± muttered a hanged ghost on a street lamp, his tongue lolling out in fear to the point of almost falling out.


    ¡°Quickly run.¡± A short kumbhanda nudged him, trembling. ¡°What¡¯re you looking at; quickly run away, and be careful of that wolf he¡¯ll send out to eat you¡­¡±


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t turn his head when he heard these whispered comments. In his eyes, these spirits¡¯ existences were about the same as ants. He would allow those ghosts to think about running away.


    Chi Jiayan was focused on going home to get money. Taking the Grim Reaper¡¯s hand, he walked into the Qingshui neighborhood, going up to the third floor of the community. When he opened the door to his home, he had to tiptoe slightly to reach the keyhole. The interior of the home was warmly furnished, and it was apparent that the family who lived there was harmonious, so how did Chi Jiayan become that sort of scumbag when he was twenty-seven?


    The Grim Reaper was a little curious.


    After entering the door, his hand was released.


    That familiar coldness spread all over the Grim Reaper again. Glancing at his hand, he watched it return to being pale.


    It had just been a one-time physical contact with a human, but it left him nostalgic, so much that he hadn¡¯t avoided it for a long time.


    Chi Jiayan brought over a small stool, but he still couldn¡¯t reach the piggy bank on the cabinet.


    ¡°Gege, carry me.¡± Looking up, he faced the Grim Reaper and stretched his arms out, face pleading.


    Actually, with the Grim Reaper¡¯s height, he could easily reach out and grab it.


    But for some reason, he still bent down and picked up the little dumpling. ¡°Okay.¡±


    When Chi Jiayan grabbed hold of the piggy bank, he threw it on the ground without hesitation. With a ¡°boom¡±, the piggy bank broke apart, and countless coins scattered all over the place. There was roughly over a hundred yuan.


    The expressions on the vets¡¯ faces when they received a bag of coins were very colorful.


    Even without the money, they would¡¯ve saved the little cat, if only for the sake of such a pure and lovely child.


    The kitten underwent an operation, so it had to be hospitalized in the clinic. Chi Jiayan laid beside its cage. ¡°Kitty, you¡¯ll definitely get better.¡±


    This might¡¯ve been the first time Chi Jiayan used his speech spirit abilities.


    Because he didn¡¯t have any side effects.


    For speech spirits, the more they talked, the more they would experience backlash. An early death was the most common way for a speech spirit to die. The longest they would live to was never over thirty-five.


    After bidding farewell to the veterinarians, the two returned to the road.


    Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t even as tall as the Grim Reaper¡¯s waist, so he had to tilt his head up. ¡°Gege, do you accumulate good virtue by doing good things?¡±


    The Grim Reaper was a little taken aback. It turned out that this child knew from the beginning that he did not belong to this world.


    He probably thought of him as a special kind of ghost.


    The Grim reaper lowered his head slightly. One tall and one small figure stood under the streetlamp, casting long shadows. ¡°There is no such thing.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Chi Jiayan sighed in disappointment, tears filling his eyes at a speed visible to the naked eye. ¡°I thought as long as I do good things, Grandpa would get better.¡±


    The Grim Reaper was silent.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Grandpa to die. I also want my parents to not have to go to the hospital anymore. I want them to stay with me.¡± Chi Jiayan had lied earlier. It turned out that his parents weren¡¯t busy with work, but that they were seriously ill and unable to divide their attention.


    The Grim Reaper reached out a hand to stroke his head.


    The Grim Reaper was ruthless, but he could be merciful.


    To him, everything in the world was as fleeting as a blooming cactus flower. When someone was born or when someone died was just something that would pass by in a flash. Time was a constant for him, and all he had to do was make sure that every life on the natal chart died at the right time.


    He also understood that right now was not a good time to take Chi Jiayan away.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t know that in this short moment, he had already been through a life-or-death situation. He sniffed and put on a brave front. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t come out to buy takeout. I just wanted to secretly buy ice cream while my parents were away.¡±


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­¡±


    The rain had stopped at some point, leaving the sky above Chunnan City a dark blue.


    The rain came and went quickly.


    ¡°I better not just be seeing things! That lord, did he really just buy something for a human?¡± The hanged ghost propped their head up on a trash can.


    The short kumbhanda was still trembling and crying. ¡°Country bumpkin, that¡¯s called ice cream. I¡¯ve eaten it a few times before I died.¡±


    ¡°Bleh, that looks like shit; it¡¯s all dark, so how could it taste good?¡± the hanged ghost spat. ¡°How could I have never seen it before?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s chocolate. You¡¯ve been dead for more than a hundred years, so it¡¯s natural you¡¯ve never encountered it.¡± After the short kumbhanda finished speaking, he felt a chill run down his back. He turned his head and saw the Grim Reaper¡¯s cold gaze sweep over them.


    Their noisy voices silenced immediately.


    The Grim Reaper looked at his watch, feeling it was time to schedule someone to clean up the junk here.


    ¡°Gege, are you going home?¡± Chi Jiayan asked, licking his ice cream with a look of satisfaction on his face. With just one ice cream, all the sadness in his little head was erased.


    ¡°Mm.¡± The Grim Reaper¡¯s voice was indifferent.


    ¡°Will I see you again?¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes were sparkling.


    The Grim Reaper nodded. ¡°Very soon.¡±


    After he spoke, a wolf howled. The golden totem embroidered on the Grim Reaper¡¯s black robes shone brightly, and a huge black wolf with its head bowed appeared.


    The Grim Reaper mounted the back of the wolf. The wolf opened up its mouth to spew golden light, forming something like an infinite tunnel.


    When the giant wolf leapt into the passage with the Grim Reaper and disappeared, Chi Jiayan¡¯s ice cream fell to the ground.


    ¡°So cool¡­¡± he said, looking up at the sky.

 CH 5

    For the Grim Reaper, the meaning of ¡°very soon¡± meant rotating his watch around and making another time-space jump, which only took a few minutes, give or take.


    He chose Chi Jiayan¡¯s second death instance¡ªat the age of thirteen, Chi Jiayan almost drowned to death. At this point in time, Chi Jiayan¡¯s parents had both died due to an accident when climbing a mountain, and his grandfather was long gone. He was the epitome of loneliness. The Grim Reaper decided to choose this time to take him away, if only to leave a minimal impact on the future.


    Chunnan City developed well in the last ten years. There were many high-rise buildings everywhere, and villas built specifically for the rich sprung up like mushrooms after the rain.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s grandfather left several pieces of property after his passing, all of which fell into the hands of Chi Jiayan¡¯s uncle. The other party was so rich that he also bought a house in the villa area. On the other hand, Chi Jiayan, whose parents both passed away, lived a relatively poor life. He was only occasionally helped with funds, mostly out of familial obligation.


    This time, the culprit of Chi Jiayan¡¯s drowning was his older cousin, Chi Rui.


    ¡°Jiajia, are you done changing your clothes?¡± Chi Rui and a group of his friends had changed into swimsuits, sitting under a parasol cracking jokes with each other.


    This group was made up of young men who had just reached adulthood. If they weren¡¯t nouveau riche, then they were fuerdai. Their hobbies included picking up girls and gambling. From head to toe, they were overflowing with the hormones of adolescent troublemakers. Everyday, the insides of the brains were filled with good-for-nothing thoughts; they only needed to say a few lines before profanities would start breaking out.


    Just as the question was finished being asked, the rose-patterned partition in the brick wall behind them parted to reveal a slender figure.


    The Grim Reaper stood not too far away, unreactive. At this point in time, Chi Jiayan was no longer the five year-old little dumpling. In this time and space, eight years already passed, which was enough time for an ignorant little round-faced milky baby to become a handsome young boy.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± the young boy said.


    This young boy was none other than thirteen year-old Chi Jiayan.


    Chi Jiayan wore a white T-shirt and swim trunks. Compared to that group of eighteen and nineteen year olds who had their chests out, he looked much more conservative. He already started to look a bit like the prototype of the twenty-seven year-old version of himself that the Grim Reaper had seen. His skin was fair and clear, his brows and eyes were pure and limpid; he was a healthy sproutling.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Qiuqiu?¡± Chi Rui stretched his neck out to peer behind Chi Jiayan. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to bring Qiuqiu with you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s too many guys here, so it wouldn¡¯t be good for Qiuqiu jie,¡± Chi Jiayan replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°Qiuqiu jie didn¡¯t come.¡±


    One of the hooligans on the side with bleached hair booed. ¡°Yo Chi Rui, didn¡¯t you say that your lil¡¯ bro was going to bring her for sure? And here I thought it was someone powerful enough to bring out Her Royal Highness.¡±


    Chi Rui¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Chi Jiayan, why do you think I called you here? If it wasn¡¯t for your ability¡­do you really think I¡¯d have any use for you? Every month, my dad tells you to go to the bank yourself to get money. Don¡¯t you know why he doesn¡¯t give it to you himself?¡±


    Chi Jiayan pursed his lips. His long eyelashes shadowed his pupils, showing no emotion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t clam up!¡± Chi Rui walked over and shoved him. ¡°You disaster, tell me, what use are you good for?¡±


    Chi Jiayan seemed to be stung by the word ¡°disaster¡±. He didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but he still apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Seeing the two cousins argue like this, the bleached-hair hooligan interjected. ¡°Let¡¯s stop; it¡¯s no fun arguing with a kid. You, Jiajia, hurry up and call Yu Xiaoqiu over. We prepared a lot of events today, all for her. When she sees them, she¡¯ll be moved to the point of tears.¡±


    Ktfs kfgf jii rmew.


    Jtl Aljsjc xcfk atlr yfaafg atjc jcsbcf.


    Pc tlut rmtbbi, atfs¡¯v ubaafc j ulgi qgfucjca, vjafv rfnfgji ulgir ja atf rjwf alwf, jcv fnfc oilgafv klat fjmt batfgr¡¯ ulgioglfcvr. Qtjafnfg ibkilof atlcur atfgf kfgf, atfs tjv vbcf. Ktf Te Wljbdle atfs kfgf ajixlcu jybea kjr Jtl Aljsjc¡¯r cflutybg, j nfgs yfjealoei ulgi ogbw atf vjcmf vfqjgawfca klat jc fifujca afwqfgjwfca. Ycf vjs, Jtl Eel rqbaafv tfg jcv lcrlrafv la kjr ibnf ja olgra rluta, rb tf kjcafv ab qegref tfg. Lbkfnfg, yfmjerf tf qglvfv tlwrfio bc yflcu glmt, tf vlvc¡¯a nlfk tfg jr j qfgrbc ja jii.


    ¡°Qiuqiu jie has a dress rehearsal today,¡± Chi Jiayan responded. ¡°She can¡¯t come.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a dress rehearsal, how could it be more important than a date?¡± The bleached-hair hooligan took off his sunglasses and came closer. ¡°Or is it because you have a crush on Yu Xiaoqiu that you don¡¯t want your bro to steal her?¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s face instantly flushed. It wasn¡¯t that he had a crush on Yu Xiaoqiu, it was just that he wasn¡¯t used to people asking him such questions. Those kinds of thoughts never crossed his mind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    He¡¯d barely spoken when Chi Rui stood up and kicked Chi Jiayan into the pool. ¡°You wart frog who just wants to eat swan meat¡ªyou¡¯re fucking asking to die!¡±


    This pool was built with the deep end being 1.8 meters. As soon as Chi Jiayan fell in, the top of his head disappeared.


    He couldn¡¯t swim in the first place, immediately struggling in every which way, water entering his mouth and nose. He tried his best to cry out, but each time he opened his mouth, the water would cause him to almost suffocate.


    The huge splashes coming from the pool caused those on the edge to burst out laughing.


    ¡°Help¡­me¡­¡± Chi Jiayan floated up only to promptly sink back down. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, your little bro looks like a chicken laying eggs, flopping around,¡± the bleached-haired hooligan said.


    Chi Rui¡¯s face darkened. He knew Chi Jiayan couldn¡¯t swim.


    The rest of the group saw that he had no response, and were therefore even less likely to jump in and help. They even thought that bullying such a weakling was kind of entertaining.


    ¡°Help me¡ª¡±


    The water rushed over his head again.


    The Grim Reaper stood beside Chi Rui, his shadow reflected on the water.


    He was wearing his mask, dressed in all black, expressionless.


    It was a perfect instance of death.


    A chill settled around the swimming pool, and even the commotion around it stopped immediately. Save for the sound of Chi Jiayan¡¯s splashing and choking in the water, the surroundings were eerily quiet.


    ¡°Damn, does it suddenly feel cold.¡± A fuerdai stretched out his arms, goosebumps forming on his skin.


    ¡°You better not be scared,¡± the bleached-haired hooligan laughed. ¡°This kid¡¯s just pretending. He won¡¯t drown.¡±


    Chi Jiayan was still struggling in the pool. He was running out of strength, his conscience fading.


    Across the edge of the light blue water, he seemed to notice a lofty figure wearing all black robes, donning a mask, staring down on him from above.


    ¡°Gege,¡± he called out with difficulty.


    The Grim Reaper¡¯s brow furrowed behind his mask.


    In his hand, there seemed to still be the lingering sensation of five year-old Chi Jiayan¡¯s body warmth.


    That little dumpling had a pair of clear eyes without any impurities. No matter what he would grow up to be like in the future, that version of him from minutes ago was still the one who had spent a part of his life walking through the rain with the Grim Reaper.


    ¡°Chi Rui, does he really not know how to swim?¡± someone asked.


    Chi Rui clenched his jaw, veins popping up on his forehead. He thought Chi Jiayan was calling for him.


    The Grim Reaper knew that in a few seconds, Chi Rui would jump down himself and drag Chi Jiayan out. This was just a harsh prank out of retaliation rather than an actual attempt to kill Chi Jiayan. However, this death instance was really too perfect. As long as the Grim Reaper planted a bit more malevolence in Chi Rui¡¯s conscience, Chi Jiayan¡¯s death would become a reality.


    One move would let the dust settle.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s struggle to survive stopped.


    Gege, help me¡­I don¡¯t want to die.


    The voice from the speech spirit¡¯s heart, uttering a desperate cry, was received by the Grim Reaper word for word.


    As the Grim Reaper hesitated, Chi Rui muttered a curse and jumped into the water with a splash, fishing Chi Jiayan out in a few strokes.


    There was a violent fit of coughing. Chi Jiayan was out of breath, and he couldn¡¯t stop gasping, sounding quite ghastly.


    The gang of hooligans were all spooked, only now realizing the gravity of the situation¡ªit turned out this little brat really couldn¡¯t swim. No matter how ruthless they were, they didn¡¯t want to kill anyone.


    Chi Rui had never considered apologizing, nor did he feel sorry. He even felt that he wasn¡¯t done venting his anger.


    He knew that Chi Jiayan had some special skills, that sometimes his words had power. His mother once asked Chi Jiayan to guarantee her victory in mahjong, winning several days in a row. He had already said he would bring Yu Xiaoqiu over today, so he believed Chi Jiayan would. Who knew this brat would dare not follow suit?!


    Chi Jiayan was an odd existence within their family. Nobody wanted anything to do with him because he really was a disaster. Besides his grandfather¡¯s passing, even his parents were gone. But because he happened to be useful, in order to save some face, Chi Rui¡¯s family helped him out from time to time.


    ¡°Next time I tell you to do something, you¡¯d better listen.¡± Chi Rui stood menacingly.


    The onlookers commented, ¡°That¡¯s right; you¡¯d better be ready. Think of his passionate feelings for Yu Xiaoqiu.¡±


    A few people laughed wickedly, and a few others said, ¡°Consider it a discount, let Chi Rui give you some things, hahaha¡­¡±


    How could Chi Jiayan not know what they were talking about? He coughed until his chest hurt, speaking shakily, ¡°Give up. I won¡¯t bring Qiuqiu jie here.¡±


    Chi Rui was furious. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t you fucking dare show up on my doorstep again, you bad omen.¡±


    After saying this, the group turned to saunter back into the house.


    Speaking softly, Chi Jiayan said, ¡°Chi Rui, unless you learn how to respect people, you¡¯ll never find someone in your entire life who will like you.¡±


    Chi Rui¡¯s back froze, but the others didn¡¯t know why. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right Chi Rui, don¡¯t stoop to his level,¡± some of them said.


    Chi Rui swiveled his head and said incredulously, ¡°You¡¯re cursing me? You¡¯re fucking cursing me? I¡¯m your elder brother.¡±


    Chi Jiayan stood up, water dripping from his body, cutting quite the sorry figure.


    He smiled, sweet dimples forming on his face, but disappointment and hardness appearing in his eyes. ¡°Yeah. I curse you. I curse you so that you¡¯ll never find love in your life.¡±


    Chi Rui¡¯s face paled.


    The friends in the group didn¡¯t know the severity of the matter, but fearing a fight would break out, hooked their shoulders over Chi Rui to steer him into the house.


    The sun was scorching. Chi Jiayan put away his smile, and after standing there for a moment, turned around.


    This time, he genuinely smiled. His eyes were pure as he faced the Grim Reaper. ¡°Gege, you¡¯re here.¡±


    The Grim Reaper stood not far away, head to toe in black, silent.


    He didn¡¯t know what overcame him. His hesitation had caused him to miss that perfect death instance.


    The gold embroidered totem on his robes was restless because such a slip-up had never appeared in thousands of years.


    The Grim Reaper, the most heartless god in this plane of existence.


    ¡°Last time you said we¡¯d meet very soon, but I waited for eight years,¡± Chi Jiayan complained, unsatisfied.

 CH 6

    The Grim Reaper stood there coldly, not uttering a single word.


    The Grim Reaper had no way of understanding his blunder. He gazed icily at the young boy. The other was short. He looked like a malnourished little turnip, fragile enough to fall apart with a single blow. He could easily be taken away.


    Thousands of thoughts were spinning through the Grim Reaper¡¯s head. He was already preparing to look for the next perfect death instance.


    Each death instance could only be used in a time-space jump once. If the opportunity was missed, there was no jumping back to it.


    The Grim Reaper searched through the natal chart in his mind and found it!


    The next instance, Chi Jiayan¡¯s eighteenth birthday.


    That day would also be the perfect occasion.


    The Grim Reaper felt like he had wasted too much time on this matter, so he needed to wrap things up quickly. In the original timeline, there were many more deaths waiting for him to deal with. He couldn¡¯t dilly-dally any longer.


    ¡°Gege, do you think I¡¯m bad?¡±


    The boy¡¯s voice interrupted the Grim Reaper¡¯s train of thought.


    He opened his eyes.


    Chi Jiayan stared at the ground, his body still drenched. He said in a low voice, ¡°I cursed him, but I don¡¯t regret it at all. Gege probably hates bad people like me. Actually, I didn¡¯t mean to be bad on purpose¡­¡±


    ¡°That has nothing to do with me,¡± the Grim Reaper said.


    All things considered, the boy¡¯s future was more than ten times worse than the present.


    However, the Grim Reaper hadn¡¯t forgotten that his efforts saved twenty-three lives. This was a very interesting and contradictory soul.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s hands unconsciously fidgeted with the fabric of his shorts. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The Grim Reaper turned to leave, but he found that Chi Jiayan was following him.


    ¡°Gege, where did you come from?¡± Chi Jiayan walked beside him with a smiling face. ¡°Why do you wear this mask all the time? And these robes, last time I saw you, the, um¡­is it a totem? I saw it turned into a handsome wolf.¡±


    Hearing the praise, the totem had the intention of appearing in midair.


    ¡°Cang Feng,¡± the Grim Reaper said coldly.


    The totem whimpered like a puppy, reluctantly quieting down.


    ¡°Is its name Cang Feng?¡± asked Chi Jiayan. ¡°Its name is cool, too.¡±


    The Grim Reaper spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me.¡±


    Chi Jiayan kept talking. ¡°Gege must be a guardian angel.¡±


    Ktf Xglw Efjqfg ogbhf, mbivcfrr qfgwfjalcu atf jlg jgbecv tlw.


    Lf tjv cfnfg vlrmibrfv tlr bmmeqjalbc ab jcsbcf. Snfc atf akb kbgvr ¡°Xglw Efjqfg¡± kfgfc¡¯a vjgfv ab yf eaafgfv ys atf utbrar bo atf ecvfgkbgiv. Gfjat kjr j xlcv bo ajybb, j xlcv bo vfafggfca, atja oglutafcfv utbrar jcv wjvf atflg affat mtjaafg fnfc joafg vfjat.


    Being a guardian angel was a term far removed from him.


    They had walked out of the villa, coming to an open boulevard.


    The area around the villa was unique. Part of the foundation was very high, and part of it was very low, like it was constructed on a mountain. The driveway winded up, and the sidewalk was built in steps. From a distance, it looked like there was no end in sight.


    Chi Jiayan stood at a taller angle. As if he was aware of the Grim Reaper¡¯s doubts, he explained, ¡°I guessed.¡±


    The Grim Reaper spoke, his voice icy. ¡°How did you guess?¡±


    ¡°Last time when I was about to be hit by a car, you appeared.¡± Chi Jiayan analyzed, ¡°This time, when I was about to die, you appeared again. You must be my guardian angel. When I¡¯m in danger, you come out to save me.¡±


    Actually, he had guessed all wrong.


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t interrupt his explanation. After all, nobody knew he was the Grim Reaper, eyeing his life force like a tiger eyed prey.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± Chi Jiayan grinned.


    In the dappled sunlight cast by the shade, Chi Jiayan¡¯s skin was so white that it seemed to glow. His pupils were black and big, and he had a pair of clear almond eyes. Anyone could see his sincerity just by looking at him. His gratitude came from the heart, and the Grim Reaper knew that he wasn¡¯t lying.


    ¡°Actually, I was so angry earlier that I even thought about letting my cousin die. Good thing you showed up, so I didn¡¯t have to go that far.¡±


    The Grim Reaper asked coldly, ¡°Why?¡±


    Chi Jiayan said, ¡°When I was little, I always felt bad for myself. I was abandoned by the whole world, so I had a lot of bad thoughts. But that time I met you when we went to rescue the kitten together, I realized that I¡¯m not alone in the world. Even up till just now, I¡¯ve guessed that you must be my guardian angel, appearing just as I¡¯m in danger.¡±


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thinking about it, I guess what my cousin did wasn¡¯t all that unforgivable. After all, I¡¯ve got a guardian angel!¡± Chi Jiayan smiled craftily.


    The Grim Reaper thought back to the second half of the swimming pool incident.


    Within his consciousness, he watched a different version of that event. In a timeline where he didn¡¯t appear, after Chi Jiayan was rescued, he didn¡¯t simply stop at cursing Chi Rui to never find love¡ªhe took revenge on Chi Rui as well. He kicked him into the pool and used spiritual power to prevent Chi Rui from climbing ashore, making Chi Rui nearly drown for an hour, causing him to be extremely fearful of water after that.


    Why was that version of Chi Jiayan so fierce?


    The Grim Reaper mentally browsed through that timeline¡¯s past. Five year-old Chi Jiayan never saw him on the side of the road, nor had he held an umbrella for him. Naturally, he never rescued the kitten, nor ate the ice cream he bought for him.


    Little Chi Jiayan lived in isolation. His family members passed away, he lived in poverty, growing up with a distorted mentality, resorting to many extremes.


    This timeline¡¯s Chi Jiayan, though put in the same situations, was an optimistic young man.


    It turned out the last time the Grim Reaper appeared, he¡¯d already changed the trajectory of Chi Jiayan¡¯s life. Such a small ripple had caused a big wave.


    Everything was messed up.


    ¡°I am not your guardian angel,¡± the Grim Reaper said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Chi Jiayan declined to comment, realizing that this gege was keeping his real intentions to himself.


    They walked for a while, the Grim Reaper in front, Chi Jiayan in the back.


    The roads in the villa area were intricate and complex. The Grim Reaper might¡¯ve taken a wrong turn, but Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t tell him, silently accompanying him around in circles.


    In actuality, the Grim Reaper was lost in thought. He just had a habit of walking when thinking.


    Because things were changed, he mentally established countless possibilities in his consciousness, calculating the possible impacts of the next death instance in Chi Jiayan¡¯s future. Because of his hesitation and soft-heartedness this time, things became complicated. He had to clean up the mess quickly to put an end to this mistake.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s strides began to not be able to keep up. ¡°Gege, wait for me.¡±


    The Grim Reaper said, ¡°I¡¯m not your gege.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chi Jiayan was puzzled. Afterwards, he came to a conclusion, face turning red. ¡°Could it be, you¡¯re actually a jiejie?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Grim Reaper had no way of explaining to him that it was just because his seniority was too large, but he didn¡¯t want to argue. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to be a gege. Good think you¡¯re not a jiejie. Your voice is too manly.¡± Chi Jiayan patted his chest to suppress his initial shock, then raised his foot. ¡°Gege, my foot hurts too much. I can¡¯t walk anymore.¡±


    It was only then that the Grim Reaper noticed Chi Jiayan¡¯s left ankle was as swollen as a steamed bun.


    Perhaps it had been twisted while he was struggling in the swimming pool. And yet, the teenage boy had kept walking behind him without saying a word about it.


    The Grim Reaper said coldly, ¡°Then stop walking.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Chi Jiayan protested. ¡°I want to follow you. If you suddenly disappear again, I¡¯ll lose my only friend.¡±


    The Grim Reaper turned away to keep walking. ¡°I¡¯m not your friend.¡±


    This time, Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t follow him. The Grim Reaper had walked quite far when he heard Chi Jiayan shout out behind him.


    ¡°Please be my friend!¡± With the words came the power of a speech spirit¡¯s ability, hitting the Grim Reaper wave after wave.


    It was a pity that the Grim Reaper was a higher power, so the speech spirit couldn¡¯t affect him at all.


    The Grim Reaper summoned Cang Feng. He wanted to leave now to find the next death instance, to bring everything back on track.


    ¡°Gege!¡± Chi Jiayan was still shouting behind him, his clear and youthful voice growing a little hoarse. ¡°Please, be my friend! It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t stick around me, please promise me, be my first friend!¡±


    A sports car roared past. Chi Rui¡¯s group of friends was piled in the car. Seeing Chi Jiayan standing on the side of the road awkwardly, they all whistled and jeered.


    ¡°Hey, unlucky devil!¡±


    ¡°Bad omen¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna find your Qiuqiu jie and¡­¡±


    Chi Jiayan watched the red sports car drive away. The last sentence might¡¯ve been a threat or a prank, but he didn¡¯t hear clearly.


    Out of the blue, Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes reddened. His pair of almond eyes watered, delicate but filled with hatred.


    ¡°Bastards.¡± Chi Jiayan swiped at his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re all bastards. I hope you all¡ª¡±


    The word ¡°die¡± was stuck in his throat.


    The Grim Reaper had returned at some point. He nipped Chi Jiayan¡¯s curse in the bud.


    It was three peoples¡¯ lives, which was another unpredictable variable.


    The young boy¡¯s eyes widened suddenly, his pupils shining brightly under the shadow of the tree. ¡°Gege?¡±


    The tall Grim Reaper was cold all over. Even his palms were freezing cold. His touch on the young boy¡¯s lips had felt like a piece of ice.


    The Grim Reaper¡¯s face was hidden behind his mask, so his expression couldn¡¯t be seen.


    Maybe it was impatience, or maybe it was disgust. Chi Jiayan couldn¡¯t tell the difference.


    He was a little happy, really. His eyes curved upwards. ¡°You promised to be my friend.¡±


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t speak. His level of taciturnity was incompatible with this world.


    ¡°Gege, you¡¯re too nice.¡± Chi Jiayan threw himself into the Grim Reaper¡¯s embrace. The silky material of his black robes was smooth and hard to grab onto.


    The Grim Reaper stood stiffly.


    This human was really too strange of an existence!


    ¡°I really can¡¯t walk anymore. Can you carry me?¡± Chi Jiayan said in a muffled voice, his tone acting a little pitiful.


    But from the perspective of the Grim Reaper, he could see a sly dimple on the boy¡¯s fair cheek.


    He felt that this human who held no reverence for him could be poisonous.

 CH 7

    ¡°Get up.¡± The Grim Reaper¡¯s voice held not a tinge of emotion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± The boy¡¯s face was thicker than expected.


    The Grim Reaper extended a single finger, prodding Chi Jiayan in the forehead, trying to get him away. Somehow, although he couldn¡¯t see the expression of the Grim Reaper, Chi Jiayan still knew that the face hidden behind the mask must be the one called ¡°disgust¡±.


    Chi Jiayan was already thirteen. What kind of gossip and looks of disgust hadn¡¯t he already heard? Because of his character being that of a heavenly fiend lonely star, people avoided him like the plague.


    He suddenly remembered that he was not a popular person, so he felt very ashamed of his impulsive actions. His face started to burn.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Chi Jiayan muttered, apologizing. His unrestrained enthusiasm from just now was like a snail¡¯s antennae, retreating into his shell in the blink of an eye. The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong. After all, the last time he had seen Chi Jiayan, Chi Jiayan was still an energetic little dumpling.


    Chi Jiayan was still currently vexed over his actions. Before he could say more, a giant black wolf jumped down from the tree branches overhead, circling around him. The ink-colored wolf even had a bird in its mouth. It opened its jaw, and the poor bird was swallowed whole.


    Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t really afraid of this enormous, truck-sized wolf called Cang Feng. He even thought it was rather cute.


    Cang Feng dug its claws into the ground, assuming a downwards posture. Chi Jiayan reached out a hand and petted its ear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± the Grim Reaper said.


    Chi Jiayan obediently climbed the back of the wolf. The Grim Reaper took another seat in front, and the two rode atop the wolf out of the villa area.


    Newborn calves really weren¡¯t afraid of tigers. Chi Jiayan was the first human to ride alongside the Grim Reaper.


    This certainly caused an uproar among the ghosts of Chunnan City.


    They rushed about in a flurry to spread the gossip. It didn¡¯t take long for oil and vinegar to get added to the mix, causing there to be about twenty different variations of the tale.


    One wiser ghost who had doubts was puzzled. ¡°That can¡¯t be right. I just saw the lord over in Huashu District. How could he be in two places at the same time?¡±


    Another ghost quickly agreed. ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I can testify. There was a gas leak that caused an explosion like the Big Bang over there, and a whole floor of people died. I saw the lord with my own two eyes. He was busy beyond belief.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that there was an impostor.¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, there could be¡­¡±


    They looked up at the road as they chattered, happening to make eye contact with the steely gaze of the Grim Reaper passing by by chance. The ghosts scattered and fled in every possible direction.


    One ghost was so frenetic that they forgot to go through the wall. They hit the wall with a ¡°bang¡±, a big lump forming on their head. They stood there dumbly, shaking in their boots.


    Cang Feng prowled down the street. With one sweep of its tongue, a glimpse of every one of its fangs could terrify people. By the way, it only took two bites for it to devour and swallow that reckless ghost.


    Not a peep could be heard out of all the other ghosts.


    Plop, plop, and each one fell to their knees.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s hands holding onto Cang Feng¡¯s fur were shaking. He understood that this was not just some unnaturally large pet, but a beast worthy of being called terrifying. He became a little scared, his face gradually paling. His eyes subconsciously sized up the person in front of him.


    It was only now that he came to a realization. That man in all black, gloomy and cold, gave off a thick and eerie aura of death.


    The Grim Reaper sensed his gaze. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Chi Jiayan lowered his head. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    What the ghosts saw was the Grim Reaper from the natural timeline.


    Whenever there was an abnormally large-scale scene of death, the Grim Reaper would appear in person, and none of the dying souls would be able to escape. Singular deaths or natural deaths were often missed by soul-devouring beasts, to the extent that many ghosts lived in fear of being caught and brought to justice.


    Fcvfg atf rmbgmtlcu tba rec, atf Xglw Efjqfg tjv cb rtjvbk, jcv cjaegjiis, cflatfg vlv Jjcu Mfcu.


    They were all citizens of the underworld. They had no heartbeat or body temperature. Like the ghosts Chi Jiayan had seen in the past, they were very different from living humans. Chi Jiayan felt a little bad for the ghost that was eaten, but he also felt inexplicably close to this gege, so his emotions fluctuated for a while.


    Xbbv atlcu tf¡¯v rffc wjcs atlcur rlcmf tf kjr j mtliv, jcv tf kjr jc beailfg, rb tf vlvc¡¯a gjlrf jcs defralbcr.


    Ktlr xlcv bo mbwqbregf kjr yfsbcv atf Xglw Efjqfg¡¯r fzqfmajalbcr.


    They soon arrived in front of Chi Jiayan¡¯s house. He slid off Cang Feng¡¯s back and said with a smile, ¡°Gege, you should come to my house to play.¡±


    The Grim Reaper looked down at him condescendingly. ¡°You guessed it.¡±


    But Chi Jiayan pretended he didn¡¯t hear. He took his hand and walked upstairs. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll host you well!¡±


    The home was no different from how it was eight years ago, only now, the furniture was very old, and there was an air of decay. It wasn¡¯t cleaned up too well; clothes were scattered all over the place, and books and homework were strewn across the table. The bowls stuffed in the sink were god knows how many days old, and the instant noodle cups on the dining table hadn¡¯t been thrown away yet.


    It was a house with no elders.


    The Grim Reaper remembered the yellow magnolia necklace hanging around Chi Jiayan¡¯s neck from when he was five. At that time, his parents had been alive, but now he was alone. Only now did the Grim Reaper feel that time had passed for a long while. He felt a sense of reality between the two consecutive space-time jumps.


    When Chi Jiayan entered the door, he threw his key into a small bowl on the cabinet, acting happy and unaffected. He shouted, ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    Nobody replied.


    He was already used to it. It was just that with these words, it felt less lonely.


    ¡°Gege, come in.¡± Chi Jiayan turned around with a grin. ¡°No need to be courteous!¡±


    The Grim Reaper¡­didn¡¯t really want to go in.


    He didn¡¯t like uncleanliness or filth.


    For that reason, the Grim Reaper¡¯s black robes were always clean. His leather shoes were also spotless, and even Cang Feng¡¯s fur was soft and tidy.


    On the sofa was a chocolate-colored plushie. It was shaped like a rabbit or something, about a meter long, missing one of its eye buttons. When Chi Jiayan finished inviting the Grim Reaper inside, he continued to walk around customarily, seemingly talking to himself. ¡°There¡¯re guests here! Tony, aren¡¯t you happy? I¡¯m so happy!¡±


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­¡±


    Chi Jiayan went into the kitchen. There was the sound of running water, and soon he came out with a plate of fruit.


    The Grim Reaper saw it and scrunched up his eyebrows. First of all, he didn¡¯t like sweet food. Secondly, the fruit was probably spoiled; who knows where it had been bought from. The rotten parts were cut out by Chi Jiayan, but the Grim Reaper could still smell the aura of death on them.


    ¡°Do you not eat food?¡± Chi Jiayan asked curiously. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­in movies, it¡¯s always like that¡­¡±


    He picked up a piece of fruit with his damp fingers and held it up to the Grim Reaper¡¯s nose. ¡°I think ghosts just use their sense of smell?¡±


    A completely black cat popped out of nowhere, catapulting itself like a cannonball onto Chi Jiayan.


    Chi Jiayan caught the cat, softly petting its head. ¡°Xiao Hei! You came!¡±


    The Grim Reaper had been disgusted since he set foot inside. ¡°Why is there a cat?¡±


    That cat noticed the Grim Reaper. The fur on its back bristled, and it bared its fangs to let out a menacing cry.


    At the same time, Cang Feng¡¯s gigantic head appeared by the window. With its height, it was quite easy to appear in a location three stories high. It was even more exaggerated than Xiao Hei¡¯s reaction, growling in its throat, baring its fangs, and almost squeezing into the window to try to bite Xiao Hei to death.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t expect them to react so strongly to the cat, so he quickly explained, ¡°Gege, this is Xiao Hei! The Xiao Hei we rescued together! He¡¯s very obedient!¡±


    The Grim Reaper had a headache.


    Why did this child have so many issues?


    ¡°Try petting his fur. It¡¯s very comfortable!¡± Chi Jiayan looked at him expectantly.


    Because he kind of wanted to stop the shenanigans, as well as wanted to clear up the young boy¡¯s misconstrued fantasies about him, the Grim Reaper decided to get straight to the point.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The Grim Reaper¡¯s cold voice resounded loudly.


    Both the cat and the wolf became quiet at the same time. Due to the aura of the Grim Reaper, even Chi Jiayan put away the smile he used to pretend he was strong.


    Chi Jiayan was very smart.


    Things were so obvious, so what didn¡¯t he understand?


    ¡°Am I going to die?¡± Chi Jiayan hugged the black cat. The color contrast made his complexion look whiter. His almond eyes also seemed to be exactly the same shape as the black cat¡¯s. ¡°Gege, am I going to die? Are you here to take me away?¡±


    The Grim Reaper was very tall, giving people a sense of oppression. There was also that chill emanating from his body, which was bone-chilling even during the dog days of summer.


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Under the expressionless white mask, the eyes of the Grim Reaper were as cold as ice. ¡°This time is your death warning. In your next death instance, I will take you away.¡±


    The sockets of Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes slowly filled with tears, his nose turning red. ¡°Oh¡­so it¡¯s like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m not your guardian angel,¡± the Grim Reaper said. ¡°And I¡¯m not your friend. I¡¯m a grim reaper.¡±


    The boy¡¯s beautiful wish was shattered to pieces. It was like one could hear the sound of glass breaking.


    Chi Jiayan nodded, tears dripping onto the floor. ¡°I know now.¡±


    The Grim Reaper expected the boy to despair, to sob in agony, to bitterly beg for his life¡ªbut Chi Jiayan did none of the above. Maybe it was due to the years of loneliness and neglect, causing Chi Jiayan to face the concept of death with a different eye.


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t know and didn¡¯t care, but he was just a bit curious.


    It had already been a long time since he¡¯d come across someone who wasn¡¯t afraid of death.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually a little bit happy.¡± Chi Jiayan wiped his eyes dry. ¡°I can finally see my parents again. I don¡¯t have to be alone anymore.¡±


    How ironic.


    He was also the one who had a strong desire to survive in the swimming pool just earlier, and it was also he who happily accepted his death warning right now.


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t quite understand the structure of the young man¡¯s brain. Human emotions were too complicated for him to understand, so he remained silent.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably the best grim reaper, right?¡± Chi Jiayan looked up, his eyes glistening. ¡°Last time you bought me ice cream, this time you took me home. Before the next death instance, can¡¯t you become my friend?¡±


    The Grim Reaper had never come across anyone with this line of logic.


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t,¡± said the Grim Reaper.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Chi Jiayan hung his head. ¡°I guess you¡¯re heartless after all¡­¡±


    Just as he finished saying this, outside downstairs, Cang Feng let out a howl. It was high-pitched and melodious, carrying to the sky.


    The two people turned their heads. Outside the window was someone else wearing a white mask and black robes, exactly the same. On his clothes was a beast totem embroidered with gold thread, which was the appearance of Cang Feng before he transformed.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s mouth fell agape. The Grim Reaper¡¯s eyes darkened. He took a step forward to calmly block him.


    ¡°How did you come here.¡± The Grim Reaper¡¯s voice was ice cold.


    The black-robed man was half levitating, half balanced on the windowsill. He walked leisurely on long legs into the room.


    The house was even colder.


    The two people were the exact same black-robed figures, the exact same Grim Reaper.


    ¡°What about you, where did you come from.¡± The other black-robed man asked. Even their tone of voice was exactly the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m from the future,¡± said the Grim Reaper.


    ¡°What a coincidence. So am I,¡± said the black-robed man.


    Hearing this, the Grim Reaper frowned. He¡¯d expected it to be his past self from this original timeline. He didn¡¯t expect it to be his future self.


    The black-robed man didn¡¯t see the Grim Reaper¡¯s expression. Turning to Chi Jiayan, he beckoned him closer. ¡°Jiajia, come here.¡±


    Chi Jiayan couldn¡¯t process what was happening, already in a stupor. He walked towards the black-robed man without thinking.


    But the black-robed man stretched out a pale hand, grabbed Chi Jiayan¡¯s neck, and lifted him up!


    There was immediately a terrified gasp, and blood rushed to Chi Jiayan¡¯s head, his legs kicking helplessly in mid-air. If the black-robed man exerted more force, Chi Jiayan would surely die. He sneered, ¡°Ling Xiao, things have changed. I came from the future to help you correct the mistakes you made today.¡±


    The Grim Reaper flashed, instantly snatching back Chi Jiayan.


    Chi Jiayan gasped for breath, coughing uncontrollably. Being on the verge of death twice in one day was certainly considered an adventure!


    He subconsciously grabbed onto the Grim Reaper, shaking and calling out, ¡°Gege, Gege¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t die yet.¡± The Grim Reaper supported the back of Chi Jiayan¡¯s head. He barely recognized that he was comforting him by doing this.


    The black-robed man didn¡¯t continue fighting over the boy, acting as if he had expected this kind of action from his past self. Instead, he said indifferently, ¡°Really. You¡¯re lying to yourself. Chi Jiayan needs to die early. We should finish this ahead of time.¡±


    The Grim Reaper said, ¡°The next time will be the perfect death instance.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow is still tomorrow.¡± The black-robed man said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t my appearance already explain the problem?¡±


    The two faced each other, and each saw the determination in the other¡¯s eyes.


    The black-robed man was defeated first. He massaged his temple and said, ¡°Forget it. You are me, and I am you. How could I expect you to be more thorough than I am now.¡±


    The Grim Reaper asked coldly, ¡°What happened?¡±


    The black-robed man shook his head. ¡°Since I seem to be incorrigible, I can¡¯t tell you the future.¡±


    After saying this, he rotated the watch on his wrist.


    He was leaving.


    After adjusting the time, the black-robed man wordlessly stood on the windowsill and fell straightaway. The gold embroidered totem on his body immediately turned into another Cang Feng to jump up, firmly catching the black-robed man. The black-robed man circled around outside the window, causing Xiao Hei to yowl again.


    Then, they disappeared in a ray of golden light.

 CH 8

    The Grim Reaper stood there for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.


    After a while, he realized that Chi Jiayan hadn¡¯t reacted. When he looked down, he saw that the boy had passed out.


    What did he mean when he said things have changed in the future? Why erase Chi Jiayan¡¯s existence in advance?


    The Grim Reaper could jump back in the past, but he couldn¡¯t jump to the future. There was no way to find an answer to these questions.


    He settled Chi Jiayan down in the bed in the bedroom. The black cat followed immediately, jumping up to find a place beside the pillow, curling up comfortably. It seemed that he was used to this position, stomach rumbling as it purred, content.


    The Grim Reaper was expressionless as he looked at the bluish fingerprints bruised on Chi Jiayan¡¯s fair neck.


    At this moment, he noticed a stack of papers on the bedside table.


    It was one painting after another, all of which were murder scenes.


    The main character in each painting starred Chi Jiayan.


    There were versions of him at five or six years old being trampled by monsters and vomiting blood. There were others of him a little older being surrounded by ghosts. Most of them were of him huddled in a corner in the dark, ghosts approaching him with bloody grins and outstretched claws.


    These paintings seemed to be Chi Jiayan¡¯s dreams. Maybe they even happened in reality, but the Grim Reaper had no way of confirming that.


    The Grim Reaper flipped to the last painting, which looked the most childish. It was likely painted by Chi Jiayan when he was younger.


    In the painting, a tall man in a black robe was riding a wolf, smiling faintly.


    A speech spirit¡¯s life was ill-fated and destined to be difficult. No wonder Chi Jiayan became psychologically distorted when he grew up, and no wonder Chi Jiayan desperately wanted to find someone to rely on in the present.


    For him there was extremely little warmth in the world, and he looked for it with a patient and cautious heart.


    The Grim Reaper tucked the last painting into his robes.


    He entered the next death instance to see what the future was all about.


    ¡°Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~¡±


    C eclobgw ylgatvjs rbcu rbecvfv bea. Snfgsbcf reggbecvfv j ybs lc atf wlvvif bo j mijrrgbbw.


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    ¡°It¡¯s time to make a wish, Jiajia,¡± the teacher said in a daze.


    ¡°Hm¡­what should I wish for?¡± Chi Jiayan grinned, deliberately taking a while to think hard. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll make a wish not to die today.¡±


    Nobody responded.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t care. He folded his hands across his chest and closed his eyes, appearing to genuinely be making the wish.


    He opened his eyes and blew out the candles. Everyone clapped one by one.


    Someone seemed to snap out of it. The smile in Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes abruptly disappeared. ¡°Wait. Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    That classmate trembled. ¡°We¡ªwe finished singing¡­¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s smile returned. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten any cake yet.¡±


    Nobody dared to move.


    Chi Jiayan was wearing a white T-shirt and a birthday hat. He looked clean and fresh, but it made everyone present feel cold. In fact, Chi Jiayan was no longer a student. He dropped out of school half a year ago without reason. At that time, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, because as long as Chi Jiayan was in the class, everyone who was close to him would be unlucky. Originally, he had a good personality, good looks, and was very popular with girls. Later, the fact that he was a disaster star gradually spread in the school, and when his deskmate got into a car accident, several boys put him in a sack and beat him up.


    For some reason, Chi Jiayan suddenly returned to school today. Before everyone could regain their senses, the whole class was singing happy birthday to him.


    After dividing up the cake, Chi Jiayan said, ¡°Everyone should eat it all up. Because I made it myself.¡±


    Once he finished speaking, he walked out of the classroom, the sun¡¯s rays blinding him.


    When he readjusted his eyes, he found a tall figure in black robes standing at the end of the corridor.


    The Grim Reaper had arrived.


    For Chi Jiayan, they hadn¡¯t seen each other in about five years.


    But he didn¡¯t display any sign of surprise. Smiling brightly, he said plainly, ¡°Gege¡¯s here.¡±


    In these five years, Chi Jiayan grew into a young man with a slim figure and a handsome face. Although he still had the youthful energy of a teenager, his appearance had changed a lot. Most notable was the cool and collected temperament he exuded, which was very different from the impulsive, lively, and expressive personality of the past.


    The Grim Reaper still wore his mask, approaching him silently and coldly.


    ¡°I miscalculated. If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have wasted my wish.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s pupils were extraordinarily clear under the sunlight. ¡°I just made a wish not to die today, and then Gege showed up.¡±


    This tone of ¡°ah, you came at such a bad time¡± felt like a rebuke exchanged between friends.


    The Grim Reaper felt like he was a bit unfamiliar. ¡°You aren¡¯t scared?¡±


    Chi Jiayan said, ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡±


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not speak of these unhappy things.¡± Chi Jiayan returned to the classroom to get a slice of cake. The classmates and teacher were eating ravenously, some of them still licking their plate after finishing eating. This was because of Chi Jiayan¡¯s order to ¡°eat it all up¡±.


    ¡°Please, have some cake. Today¡¯s my birthday, after all.¡±


    A girl who was allergic to eggs cried in the classroom.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes darkened. He asked, ¡°Am I bad?¡±


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t take the slice of cake, nor did he answer the question. He didn¡¯t think there was any need to say more. He only had one purpose for this trip, and that was to take Chi Jiayan away.


    After a while, Chi Jiayan was supposed to be standing on the side of the road. A peddler selling oranges would overturn a bucket of oranges.


    The next moment, a cyclist would run over an orange and crash, and the dog in the bike basket would run around after being startled.


    Then, the worker installing glass at the front of a store would miss¡ª


    Finally, the shattered glass would have the opportunity to cut through the arteries of Chi Jiayan, who would be passing by.


    In the original timeline, Chi Jiayan would be able to escape by his sharp eyesight and quick hands.


    But this time, the Grim Reaper would ensure his death would happen.


    In the present moment, Chi Jiayan sighed after seeing that the Grim Reaper wasn¡¯t going to take his cake. He walked back to the classroom and said something to the crying girl. The girl grabbed her school bag and ran out as if she had been granted a pardon.


    Only then did Chi Jiayan step back out, smiling at the Grim Reaper. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    A cat popped out of nowhere and jumped onto Chi Jiayan¡¯s shoulder.


    The Grim Reaper paused, recognizing that this was the black cat from before. Not only was he not even a little bit old, he looked no different from an ordinary adult cat. When he saw the Grim Reaper, his fur stood up and he bared his teeth, letting out a threatening ¡°woo woo¡±.


    Even the totem-shaped Cang Feng began to show signs of transformation.


    ¡°Cang Feng.¡± The Grim Reaper stopped it.


    Chi Jiayan chuckled, his brows and eyes relaxing. ¡°Cang Feng still hates Xiao Hei so much.¡±


    After five years of growth, Chi Jiayan had grown in height to reach the Grim Reaper¡¯s ear, which was already quite tall. He had a calm demeanor, totally without the fear a dying person would have, walking in a leisurely manner.


    After walking a long way, they came to a boulevard.


    Chi Jiayan suddenly said, ¡°Can you show me what you look like?¡±


    The Grim Reaper stopped in his tracks. He never thought that Chi Jiayan would make such a request.

 CH 9

    ¡°Not going to let me see?¡± Chi Jiayan was disappointed. ¡°And today¡¯s my birthday. You won¡¯t grant my wish on my very last birthday?¡±


    Such a pitiful appearance was really unbefitting of him.


    It completely disregarded the classroom full of manipulated people.


    He was already old enough, as well as strong enough to deal with all matters in his life apart from the coming of the Grim Reaper.


    The Grim Reaper took off his mask, staring at him unemotionally.


    The moment the Grim Reaper took off his mask, naturally, the Grim Reaper¡¯s face was visible.


    His skin was pale and his facial features were cold. He looked like an ice sculpture.


    He stood there without expression, without care, without sadness, and without happiness.


    Chi Jiayan should have liked this sharp yet handsome face, should have been surprised by how this face was a cold blade, but he merely stared numbly.


    The two looked at each other. The Grim Reaper inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity by staring at each other like this, but that familiarity was like a tangled mess of yarn, forgotten as soon as he let it go.


    The Grim Reaper abruptly put his mask back on, hiding his face once again.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s dazed expression was also put away as he regained his senses. He returned to smiling, muttering absentmindedly with a sigh.


    ¡°As expected¡­it¡¯s the same¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± asked the Grim Reaper.


    Chi Jiayan clapped his hands. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that I realized you looked a bit like my friend.¡±


    ¡°You have friends now?¡± The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t expect this.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Chi Jiayan nodded. ¡°Is Gege not happy?¡±


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    With his hands in his pockets and a little black cat on his shoulder, Chi Jiayan walked towards the ice cream shop across the road.


    It was located near campus. Traffic became heavier when school was out. The traffic lights flashed, and the vehicles in wait drove towards the next intersection.


    As the cars came and went, Chi Jiayan turned and beckoned his hand. ¡°Gege, do you want ice cream? If you eat an ice cream, you¡¯ll feel much happier. I¡¯ll treat you.¡±


    The Grim Reaper said nothing.


    He saw the aura of death spreading from under Chi Jiayan¡¯s feet, and layers of black air gradually surrounded Chi Jiayan.


    Not far away, a shopkeeper was carrying a basket full of oranges. Because the newly renovated store next door needed to install glass, the shopkeeper had to change usual positions.


    Maybe the basket was too heavy, or maybe the material was too worn, but the bottom of the bamboo basket suddenly broke.


    The fresh, plump oranges freely rolled around.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± The shopkeeper cursed, annoyed. They warned those nearby loudly, ¡°Be careful! Watch out! Don¡¯t step on my oranges!¡±


    Pedestrians passed by one after another.


    Chi Jiayan bought two cones in the ice cream store, one chocolate and one matcha.


    He smiled and quietly thanked the clerk. He moved his legs to walk out, stepping into the sunlight.


    Bang!!


    A bicyclist ran over an orange and crashed to the ground.


    ¡°Woof woof woof!¡±


    The pug in the bike basket jumped out.


    ¡°Niuniu¡ª¡± the owner shouted anxiously.


    All of this played out in slow motion like a movie, stretched indefinitely in this perfect death instance. Every frame and every second was so clear.


    The smile on Chi Jiayan¡¯s face was still there, and the dimples on his cheeks were faintly visible.


    The pug ran away in fright and bumped into the glass installer¡¯s leg. The worker stumbled, stepping on it. The pug screamed. The worker was startled and lost his balance.


    At that moment, Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t look back.


    The glass hit the wall, and broken fragments flew. One of the sharpest triangular fragments bounced off the wall and pierced through Chi Jiayan¡¯s artery.


    If Chi Jiayan had avoided it by just a little, he would¡¯ve missed it, but he was destined to be unable to escape this time.


    Blood spewed out under the snow-white sun. It reminded the Grim Reaper of that twenty-seven year-old Chi Jiayan on the pendulum who kept spitting up blood due to backlash.


    No one could stop the footsteps of death from advancing.


    ¡ªExcept Death himself.


    ¡°Ling Xiao gege¡­¡± Chi Jiayan fell to his knees on the ground, then fell on his side.


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    This perfect instance of death was becoming the most perfect instance of death.


    The Grim Reaper¡¯s hand involuntarily reached out to touch the hand that Chi Jiayan had stretched towards him. Even before he touched it, his headache intensified further, because the memories of the Grim Reaper belonging to this timeline were rushing into his mind.


    In the blink of an eye, the still-fresh ¡°past events¡± reappeared in his mind, scene by scene.


    It turned out that the moment he had left the thirteen year-old Chi Jiayan, the past had quietly changed.


    Five years ago.


    A gas leak had caused an explosion on the first floor of a building. Because many people were resting at home on the weekend, thirty-one people, including elderly and children, died that day. Every unnaturally large-scaled death scene would follow with the appearance of the Grim Reaper. As soon as those dead souls appeared, they immediately heard the howling of Cang Feng, and one by one they turned into spirit beads that were returned to the natal chart.


    When such a large-scale mass death occurred, many wandering ghosts also came to see. They wanted to get a piece of the action, looking for a substitute for the dead or something.


    The Grim Reaper spent a long time dealing with those, exhausting himself.


    Cang Feng was out of breath. With a whimper, he turned back into the gold embroidered totem to attach to the robes, ready to rest.


    At this moment, a voice muttered, ¡°Ling Xiao?¡±


    Hearing this name that no one had used for thousands of years, the grim reaper Ling Xiao turned his head to see a young boy standing on the barren lawn. He looked about thirteen or fourteen years old with delicate features, a clear temperament, and a curious face.


    ¡°Are you¡­Ling Xiao gege?¡± the boy asked again.


    Ling Xiao frowned under his mask. ¡°That¡¯s me. Who are you?¡±


    Unexpectedly, just as he replied, the boy ran over, crashing into his arms like a small rocket, hugging him tightly.


    ¡°It really is you!¡± The boy¡¯s voice was full of surprise at having found what he¡¯d lost, chattering endlessly. ¡°I almost thought you were that bad guy! Luckily, I knew your name. You really scared me to death. When I opened my eyes, you were gone! Gege! I really thought you¡¯d left!¡±


    Ling Xiao had never seen this boy before.


    Being hugged suddenly and feeling the warmth of a human being, the frosty exterior on Ling Xiao¡¯s body quickly melted, like being exposed to the warmth of spring.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t like this change that left him feeling vulnerable. He stretched out a finger to prod the boy¡¯s forehead, ruthlessly pushing him away.


    The boy didn¡¯t seem to be disgusted by this action of ¡°disgust¡±. He seemed quite used to it, letting himself be pushed away by the forehead.


    ¡°Who are you,¡± Ling Xiao demanded condescendingly. ¡°How can you see me?¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes widened incredulously. ¡°I¡¯m Chi Jiayan, of course! Gege, did you forget?¡±


    The chill on Ling Xiao returned. He put his hand down indifferently. ¡°Chi Jiayan?¡±


    Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t even as tall as his shoulders. He was clearly just a human being, but he was not afraid at all.


    He was not annoyed when he was pushed away, and he tugged at Ling Xiao¡¯s robes familiarly, asking with concern, ¡°Gege, have you been injured? Oh right, was it that guy who wore the same clothes as you?! Did he hurt you?! It¡¯s all my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have passed out.¡±


    He said this, voice slowly growing lower. In the end, this handsome young boy¡¯s face grew red all over.


    Chi Jiayan was really annoyed. He felt that he was too cowardly, not at all of any use.


    When he woke up, he found himself lying on the bed. Xiao Hei was lying on the head of the bed, and the house was quiet. Suddenly recalling what had happened before, he was startled to realize that his gege might have fought with the black-robed man who said he wanted to ¡°correct his mistakes¡±, and he couldn¡¯t help but grow worried.


    Fortunately, he knew his gege¡¯s identity. He heard his name before he passed out, and he knew where to look for his gege, so he found him.


    ¡°A man in a black robe like me?¡± Ling Xiao frowned. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a bad guy.¡± The young boy tugged on his sleeve and explained a summary.


    The more Ling Xiao listened, the more he found it to be unbelievable. He more or less understood. Chi Jiayan was talking about his future self, and his future self and his future future self¡­had a fight?


    This was ridiculous.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t seem to understand this. He didn¡¯t understand why there were three ¡°Gege¡±s appearing at the same time. He thought he was the same as his future self, and that the other black-robed man was just a villain.


    Ling Xiao remained silent, and began to think about why such a situation occurred.


    He looked at Chi Jiayan¡¯s fair neck. There was a black and blue fingerprint on it, which matched his own finger mark.


    It seemed like his future self wanted to protect him, but his future future self wanted to kill him?


    Ling Xiao felt a headache coming on.


    ¡°Gege, don¡¯t you remember anything?¡± Chi Jiayan said, squeezing his hand nervously.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t want to dwell too much on the future. He said coldly, ¡°Mm. Let go.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Chi Jiayan let go of his hand.


    From Ling Xiao¡¯s perspective, he could see the trembling in Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyelashes.


    It seemed like such indifference¡­made the boy a little sad.


    This young boy was probably not simply just a stranger.


    Ling Xiao had been a grim reaper for thousands of years. He wasn¡¯t too surprised at this series of events. Maybe something went wrong, so he had to fix it. What he had to do now was go to the scene of the incident himself to see if one of the two future selves was still around. Only in this way could he figure out what had caused this mess.


    After all the work he had just done, Ling Xiao was already a little tired. He sighed, his tone of voice still cold. ¡°Take me to see your house.¡±


    This was just a little human boy, so he didn¡¯t have to be that fierce.


    Chi Jiayan raised his head and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.


    He broke into a smile, a pair of sweet dimples on his cheeks. ¡°Okay!¡±


    It was the first time Ling Xiao had seen a human being smile at him like this.


    When he wasn¡¯t working, he would also take his mask off and roam the world. However, all he would see were all kinds of unbearable human desires.


    He walked through this world indifferently and alienated, always out of place as a bystander. Their dimension was different from his. There, everyone was ruthless, grievances were clearly distinguished, and every grievance had to be avenged. As a god from a higher dimension, he had always looked at this world with the eyes of judgment.


    He didn¡¯t know when or where his future self had met this human child.


    Ling Xiao withdrew his gaze. ¡°Cang Feng.¡±


    The giant black wolf soared out of the sky with a golden light. When it landed, it had the force of a semi-truck, causing even the ground to rumble.


    Chi Jiayan walked over to it and stroked its ears. ¡°Cang Feng, don¡¯t you remember me?¡±


    Cang Feng had eaten a lot of wandering ghosts just now, rounding his belly. In fact, it felt quite comfortable to be touched by Chi Jiayan like this. Godlike beasts would sometimes slack off, too. But it caught Ling Xiao¡¯s cold gaze, so it whimpered and bared its sharp fangs, trying to behave like a beast.


    Chi Jiayan, who wasn¡¯t fazed at all: ¡°¡­¡±


    When they returned home, no one was there.


    It looked like either Grim Reaper had already left.


    The young boy seemed to live alone. The house was a mess, and Ling Xiao, the grim reaper who always loved cleanliness, didn¡¯t want to go in.


    Chi Jiayan had a feeling of deja vu. He smiled and motioned his hand. ¡°Gege, come in.¡±


    On the table was a plate of yellowed fruit that looked like it had just been served.


    Chi Jiayan put the fruit away. ¡°Gege, let me change it for you. You didn¡¯t even have time to eat it earlier.¡±


    Ling Xiao couldn¡¯t fathom that this expired fruit exuding signs of decay was what his future self had planned to eat.


    After cleaning up the fruit, Chi Jiayan came out with a new plate. He went to the window with familiarity. ¡°Cang Feng¡ª¡±


    It was getting dark, and the night sky was littered with stars.


    Cang Feng¡¯s huge head appeared at the window.


    Its wolf eyes looked full of doubts. How did this human know it was here?


    Chi Jiayan held up an apple, wanting to feed it to Cang Feng. ¡°Do you want some?¡±


    Cang Feng sniffed the apple. He glanced at the tall man behind Chi Jiayan before licking the apple up with his tongue¡ªit wasn¡¯t even enough to fill the space between his teeth.


    Just at this moment, a small black shadow jumped onto the windowsill, frowning and wailing at Cang Feng.


    Cang Feng and the cat really didn¡¯t get along. It also let out a low growl, not wanting to admit defeat.


    Chi Jiayan laughed, cheeriness and joy in his youthful voice.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Ling Xiao was not used to this domesticity, cutting through it mercilessly. ¡°Chi Jiayan¡­right? How do you know me?¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s thin back froze.


    Then he replied briskly, ¡°We¡¯re best friends.¡±


    Ling Xiao¡¯s intuition told him it wasn¡¯t that simple.


    Chi Jiayan seemed to realize he didn¡¯t believe him. He pointed to the black cat. ¡°Look, we met when we were saving Xiao Hei! I was only five years old when we rescued him. Gege, you even bought me ice cream.¡±


    Ling Xiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Chi Jiayan turned his head and grinned. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t remember. Gege, you can think about it little by little. Maybe by staying with me, you¡¯ll remember something.¡±


    Chi Jiayan concluded that the Grim Reaper lost his memory because of the black-robed man. Of course, he would rather the Grim Reaper not remember so that¡­so that the Grim Reaper could always be his friend and not have to take him away in the future.


    He needed a friend so desperately that he didn¡¯t care if that friend was the Grim Reaper¡ªhe knew that not even ghosts would want to be friends with him.


    Xiao Hei jumped into his arms, cat eyes cautious.


    Like owner, like pet; this human and cat pair looked very cunning.


    Ling Xiao searched through Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes to try to deduce the veracity of his words, but only found calmness.


    He knew the boy was hiding something but wasn¡¯t saying it. However, this acquaintanceship wasn¡¯t fake; otherwise, no human would dare to not be afraid of him.


    Ling Xiao thought hard. Maybe he really could try to see if there were any hints.


    He retracted Cang Feng and walked around the room.


    Chi Jiayan seemed a little excited.


    Perhaps it was because no one else had been in the house for a long time. He searched through boxes to find something to entertain his guests.


    Finally, he took out two bowls of instant noodles. He poured cold water into them, knelt down at the table, and closed his eyes with both hands folded.


    Just when Ling Xiao thought he was going to start praying, he heard him saying, ¡°Start heating up, instant noodles.¡±


    A trace of heat came out of the instant noodle cover.


    Ling Xiao facepalmed.


    It turned out this was a rare speech spirit among humans. No wonder he could see him.


    It was also no wonder why besides this young boy being able to see the supernatural, he was also alone. He was clearly a speech spirit who was a heavenly lonely fiend.


    Any human being who was close to this speech spirit would encounter trouble soon. Ling Xiao once met a speech spirit hundreds of years ago, and the other was always surrounded by ghosts and monsters.


    The instant noodles heated sluggishly, a little weakly.


    Chi Jiayan put his head level with the instant noodles. One of his hands was clenched into a fist, his face serious. ¡°Instant noodles, you can do it. Instant noodles, you can do it.¡±


    Ling Xiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    The sound of bubbles began to sound, and the soup of the instant noodles boiled, taking a full minute before gradually subsiding. The boy looked like he was facing some delicious meal, holding his fork eagerly. He carefully lifted the lid. Feeling it was a little hot, he put his finger on his earlobe.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Chi Jiayan said. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in!¡±


    Ling Xiao did not want to dig in.


    ¡°Gege, come smell this!¡±


    ¡°Smell?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Chi Jiayan nodded. ¡°I know your kind uses smell! I¡¯ve seen ghosts eat offerings all the time, and they all gather together, usually taking several hours just to smell it.¡±


    Ling Xiao¡¯s forehead twitched twice.


    He took off his mask.


    It was like the pause button had been pressed on Chi Jiayan. His pupils gradually dilated in surprise.


    Illuminated by the dim light bulb, there was an aloof and handsome face.


    The Grim Reaper looked completely different from the skull-head that Chi Jiayan had imagined.


    Perhaps it was the impact of Western legend illustrations that affected his impression. No one told him that Death would look exactly like a human after taking off his mask.


    Ling Xiao¡¯s phoenix eyes were indifferent. When he wasn¡¯t working, he often ate food from the human world.


    However, such low-quality and cheap fare had never been on his menu.


    He also never expected a human to pop up in front of him, claiming to know his future self, nor that there would be three of him on a single timeline.


    It was such a complicated situation that thinking about it made his head hurt. The ancient natal chart was probably going crazy. Would its ancient processing burn up from all the overwork?


    Ling Xiao picked up his plastic fork.


    He took a bite. The taste was too unpalatable, so he paused, happening to meet the gaze of the boy opposite from him.


    The boy¡¯s face was as red as a tomato.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ling Xiao¡¯s voice was cold and unfeeling.


    But this icy voice wasn¡¯t enough to make the temperature of Chi Jiayan¡¯s face drop one bit.


    Blushing, he lowered his head to eat, slurping up the whole bowl of instant noodles in a short amount of time, including every drop of the seasoning and soup.


    Ling Xiao felt that a speech spirit¡¯s life must¡¯ve really been hard.


    TL Note: Ling Xiao doesn¡¯t understand how good instant noodles are :/

 CH 10

    After finishing the bowl of noodles, the tip of Chi Jiayan¡¯s nose started sweating.


    His slender face was still red, the cause unknown as to whether it was from the situation earlier or because of the warm noodles.


    Ling Xiao weakly took two bites, but he really couldn¡¯t stomach it, putting down his fork and pushing the bowl away.


    The death energy inside the house thickened because the Grim Reaper¡¯s mood was bad. He had been a grim reaper for thousands of years, but never did he think he would feel wronged after having to eat such terrible food.


    ¡°Gege, does it not taste good?¡± Chi Jiayan asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Ling Xiao wanted to puke.


    Unexpectedly, Chi Jiayan actually pulled his partly-eaten noodles over, ready to dig into them without a care.


    Ling Xiao reached a hand out and covered his wrist.


    As a grim reaper, Ling Xiao¡¯s body temperature was naturally lower than a human¡¯s.


    If he was still wearing his mask, contact with him would definitely give someone full body shivers. His mask was off now, causing his body temperature to increase just a little. When he made contact with Chi Jiayan¡¯s skin, it felt like being touched by a piece of cool jade.


    Looking at that pale hand that had stopped his wrist, Chi Jiayan was confused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Those are my leftovers,¡± Ling Xiao said.


    Chi Jiayan laughed. ¡°That¡¯s okay. It¡¯d feel like such a waste. You only took a bite, after all.¡±


    Watching the boy eat his leftover noodles until every last drop was devoured, Ling Xiao thought, ¡°This person is really too pitiful.¡±


    Chi Jiayan hadn¡¯t actually eaten his fill, and he really did feel like it would¡¯ve been a waste.


    He was a thirteen year-old boy, currently still in his growing phase.


    Because of a little malnutrition, he looked younger than children the same age as him. If he wasn¡¯t so cute, he would¡¯ve been too scrawny to stand looking at.


    He wasn¡¯t actually even that poor, but he needed to save money.


    A speech spirit¡¯s abilities weren¡¯t omnipotent. He couldn¡¯t create something out of nothing, and he couldn¡¯t affect himself. Chi Jiayan had no way of making money at the present. His current livelihood was sustained partly from savings left by his parents, and partly from the inheritance his uncle received from his grandfather¡¯s estate, which was allowed to him every month.


    But his uncle always kept the money in the bank and told him to pick it up on time. They rarely saw each other except for when there was a need for him.


    Chi Jiayan was also studying at the same school as Chi Rui. Outsiders assumed both of them were living on the same standard of life, but only Chi Jiayan knew his own struggles.


    Ling Xiao watched him gobble up the instant noodles like a rabbit. He tapped on the table with his fingers. ¡°Okay.¡±


    This tone of voice was the same as his future self.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t know, thinking that he had remembered something, so he couldn¡¯t help but be very nervous.


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    ¡°You said this already,¡± Ling Xiao interrupted.


    ¡°Eh?¡± It seemed like he had. Chi Jiayan was a little distressed. It seemed like there wasn¡¯t really anything to talk about regarding his gege, so it seemed like he was speaking about a one-sided relationship.


    Ling Xiao¡¯s pale face had a cold glow under the light. There was no warmth in his pair of phoenix eyes.


    If he really wanted to discern some kind of human emotion, Chi Jiayan only found traces of distrust and alienation.


    Speaking realistically, he felt like this amnesiac gege wouldn¡¯t want to stay with him anymore.


    On his death day, this gege would take his soul away no differently from if he was a stranger, not anyone special.


    When Chi Jiayan explained the situation again, it really did seem outrageous.


    Ling Xiao frowned as he listened.


    Was he kidding? How could he have visited this one human being so often? And he was this human¡¯s best friend? And he¡¯d carried this human on his back? And he even lived here?


    Apart from being a speech spirit, Ling Xiao didn¡¯t see anything special about this boy.


    Chi Jiayan was afraid he wouldn¡¯t believe him. He raised his leg and put his foot on the table. Sure enough, his ankle was still swollen.


    ¡°Look.¡± Chi Jiayan felt a little guilty. ¡°I sprained my foot today, and it was Gege who carried me back.¡±


    Ling Xiao had no way of verifying that.


    If it wasn¡¯t for not being able to jump through time and space without the guidance of the natal chart, he would¡¯ve wanted to travel back and see what he had done.


    Ling Xiao pondered in the moment. The atmosphere in the room was stagnant for a moment¡ªno, it was stagnant, mixed with the smell of instant noodles.


    It was too human-like.


    He reached into his black robe and took out a gadget, which looked like a delicate skeleton.


    When the skeleton was taken out and placed on the table, it immediately attracted Chi Jiayan¡¯s attention.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Chi Jiayan reached towards it.


    ¡°Skeleton of Truth.¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°Face the Skeleton of Truth and answer my questions. Let me ask you, how do I get here every time?¡±


    Chi Jiayan swallowed nervously and pointed to his watch. ¡°This¡ªGege, you seem to come here by turning this.¡±


    The teeth of the Skeleton of Truth began to clatter nonstop.


    ¡°Who am I?¡± Ling Xiao continued to ask.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t know whether he had passed the test or not, but he felt his back was getting colder and colder. He shivered, but looked into Ling Xiao¡¯s eyes without flinching. ¡°You¡¯re a grim reaper.¡±


    The teeth of the Skeleton of Truth continued to snap together rapidly.


    Sure enough, this speech spirit wasn¡¯t lying.


    Ling Xiao put away the Skeleton of Truth. He began to accept that it really was his future self who had been here before.


    There was a sudden knock on the door.


    Knock knock.


    A girl¡¯s voice spoke. ¡°Jiajia? Are you home?¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes widened, but he didn¡¯t seem to be frightened; it was more like he didn¡¯t dare to make a sound.


    Ling Xiao was about to ask a question, but his mouth was covered by a hand.


    Chi Jiayan pleaded softly, ¡°Gege, don¡¯t talk.¡±


    How bold.


    Ling Xiao¡¯s eyes darkened. This speech spirit dared to cover the Grim Reaper¡¯s mouth.


    He stood up coldly, hearing the girl ask again.


    From where he stood, the shadow of a girl could be seen through the crack in the door. To much surprise, a 100-yuan bill was stuffed in from under the door.


    ¡°Jiajia, if you¡¯re home, remember to put it away.¡± The girl¡¯s voice was nice, and she sounded like she was only seventeen or eighteen years old. ¡°I¡¯m going to perform tomorrow, and my dad gave me some pocket money. You need to go buy something to eat, understand?¡±


    After the girl said this, the shadow in the crack of the door walked away.


    It wasn¡¯t until it was completely quiet again that Chi Jiayan let out a sigh of relief, the corners of his eyes red.


    Ling Xiao: ¡°Your friend?¡±


    Chi Jiayan quickly shook his head. ¡°No!¡±


    Ling Xiao felt like he had had enough of hanging around humans.


    ¡°It¡¯s Yu Xiaoqiu. I used to call her Qiuqiu jie when I was little.¡± Chi Jiayan denied, ¡°She¡¯s not my friend. I don¡¯t have any friends.¡±


    Ling Xiao: ¡°¡­That¡¯s not what it looked like.¡±


    Chi Jiayan was silent for a few seconds, gathering his emotions before forcing a smile. ¡°For a person like me, it¡¯s better to not be friends with ordinary people. It¡¯s true she wants to help me, but I don¡¯t want to hurt her.¡±


    Because he didn¡¯t want to harm others by accident, he would choose to pretend he wasn¡¯t at home?


    Ling Xiao understood.


    Chi Jiayan went to pick up the money, also retrieving a big box.


    There was quite a lot of money in the box: one yuan, five yuan, etc, in various denominations. It didn¡¯t look like the work of a single day.


    It probably wasn¡¯t the first time Yu Xiaoqiu stuffed money under the door for Chi Jiayan, but Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t spend it. Concern from others was like a rare treasure to him, so he couldn¡¯t bear to spend it.


    In this messy and unclean house, the shortie Chi Jiayan was wearing a cheap T-shirt. Because he was too thin, his shoulder blade bones protruded out.


    His dinner was two bowls of instant noodles, and the only living being that would listen to him was the little black cat.


    Also, the friend he kept insisting to be his friend was the most feared person in the world¡ªthe Grim Reaper.


    For some reason, Ling Xiao stopped him from putting the 100-yuan bill in.


    ¡°There is a problem,¡± Ling Xiao said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chi Jiayan was puzzled. ¡°Gege, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Ling Xiao took the bill. He could see layers of black air lingering on the money. He moved his fingers, absorbing the black air, feeling a tiny bit of its energy flowing through his body.


    ¡°The person who handled this money came from the underworld,¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°The person who gave her this money is dead.¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s face changed drastically. ¡°¡­Who died?¡±


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t answer immediately. His eyes were closed, and with his tall figure, he emitted a chilling aura for a moment.


    Xiao Hei was originally on the sofa, but he became so frightened that his fur stood on end and he yowled.


    Ling Xiao seemed to be talking to someone in his consciousness.


    His tone became completely cold.


    ¡°Are all the soul-devouring beasts dead? Tell Lu Cheng to come see me immediately.¡±

 CH 11

    After Ling Xiao returned from his consciousness, he saw that the boy¡¯s pale face was full of worry and anxiousness. He massaged his temple and asked, ¡°Have you seen any strange ghosts around here lately?¡±


    Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°Huh? Uh¡­strange ghosts?¡±


    Ling Xiao stayed silent, waiting for him to answer.


    Chi Jiayan quickly recounted his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered a ghost that wasn¡¯t strange. For example, the one facing the corner in the empty hallway is one that I¡¯ve seen since I was little. It¡¯s been more than ten years, but he hasn¡¯t gotten tired or hungry¡­Also, there was a time where a few ghosts kept following me, talking about how I was some lord¡¯s child¡­bride?¡±


    As soon as he had said these words, Chi Jiayan¡¯s voice died, immediately ending the conversation.


    It was only then that he realized that the ¡°some lord¡± the ghosts were talking about was probably just the Grim Reaper.


    The ghosts didn¡¯t dare to say Ling Xiao¡¯s name, because it seemed to represent summoning him, so they all used ¡°that lord¡± instead.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t seem to care about these words at all, nor did he pay attention to how Chi Jiayan¡¯s face was once again on fire.


    He stared at the 100-yuan bill with a cold expression. Chi Jiayan could see a sense of calmness and prestige from this sternness.


    In the middle of it all, someone knocked on the glass outside the window.


    No, wait¡ªit probably¡­wasn¡¯t a person?


    This was the third floor, after all.


    The man outside the window was wearing gray robes and had bare feet.


    He had a pair of little antlers on his forehead, and his silhouette was different from humans, with a noticeable red outline.


    He had been pressed against the glass, looking inside. When he confirmed that the Grim Reaper was inside, he pushed excitedly, shattering the glass.


    ¡°Master Ling Xiao!¡± He sauntered in, bare feet stepping on the shards of glass. ¡°Hey, who is this brat? Is it my new partner? But he looks so small. Does the natal chart rely on child labor nowadays? That¡¯s illegal, right? To be honest, I¡¯m opposed to participating in all illegal activities.¡±


    ¡°¡­The door was over there¡­¡± Chi Jiayan said weakly. He couldn¡¯t follow the brain circuit of this person. ¡°Your feet¡­are bleeding¡­¡±


    The man looked down at his feet, and sure enough, there were a few pieces of broken glass stuck in the soles of his feet. He dusted them off casually, letting the blood flow.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s feet hurt just looking at him.


    Ling Xiao said, ¡°Lu Cheng, your speed has dropped by a lot.¡±


    The person who arrived was Lu Cheng. He hopped up and exclaimed, ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault, the notice you posted was too barren! This location was so hard to find. Also, I¡¯m off the clock right now. I need to rest, too. I already told you I need a partner with manpower. Wandering ghosts are also advancing with the times now, so they¡¯re way harder to catch compared to before! Now ghosts even hide in Taoist temples to escape pursuit, can you believe it? Although their so-called beliefs don¡¯t exist, it¡¯s really funny, those fake Taoists are also ghost hunters¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Ling Xiao coldly said.


    Lu Cheng awkwardly tucked away his smile. He quietly looked at Chi Jiayan.


    But Chi Jiayan was staring at the well-ventilated balcony window of his house¡­he would have to spend money again¡­


    Ling Xiao¡¯s black robe fluttered in the night wind. His fair complexion glowed like ice. He handed the 100-yuan bill to Lu Cheng.


    Lu Cheng snatched the bill with a face full of disbelief. ¡°You called me here on important business tonight, only to tell me to run errands and buy takeout again?¡±


    Snfc Jtl Aljsjc kjr vgjkc yjmx ys atfrf kbgvr. ¡°Cujlc?¡±


    Olcu Wljb kjr fzqgfrrlbcifrr. ¡°P mjiifv sbe tfgf ab rwfii atf vfjat jegj bc la.¡±


    Oe Jtfcu rcloofv la jcv lwwfvljafis kbgf j mbcoerfv fzqgfrrlbc. ¡°Lw? Pa rffwr ab yf atf vfjat jegj bo rbwfbcf bc atf yglcx bo vfjat, yea la¡¯r jirb wlzfv klat atf rwfii bo utbrar. Lbk rtbeiv P qea la; la rffwr atja atlr qfgrbc lr jigfjvs vfjv, yea la jirb rffwr ilxf atfs tjnfc¡¯a vlfv sfa. Lbk mbeiv atlr yf?¡±


    ¡°Possessed by the dead. Attachment to the living,¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°There are only two possibilities.¡±


    Chi Jiayan appeared to follow a little bit about what they were talking about. He couldn¡¯t help grabbing onto Ling Xiao¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Gege? Is Qiuqiu jie¡¯s father dead?¡±


    Lu Cheng watched him grab Ling Xiao¡¯s clothes, eyes widening in shock.


    This¡ªthis¡ªwasn¡¯t this too intimate?!


    He knew this lord hated contact with any creature the most!


    If he rounded up a bit it would be like getting married!


    This¡ªthis other party was still a child; was the lord actually a pervert?


    Ling Xiao could hear Lu Cheng¡¯s thoughts. He stretched out a hand, grabbed the antlers on Lu Cheng¡¯s forehead, and tossed them out the window into the night.


    ¡°Animal cruelty¡ª¡±


    Lu Cheng roared as he flew out.


    Ling Xiao seemed to be used to this. He calmly brushed Chi Jiayan¡¯s hand away and answered, ¡°You¡¯ll know if you see.¡±


    With a ¡°bang¡±, Lu Cheng was back. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll send a soul-devouring beast to check it out first.¡±


    Chi Jiayan: ¡°Oh.¡±


    Lu Cheng popped his antlers back into place himself.


    From within his sleeves, he grabbed a handful of small, black fur balls and put them on the floor.


    If you looked carefully at those little fur balls, you could see that they all have limbs but no head, and it was hard to tell where their mouths were.


    The group of fur balls trembled in place, as if reluctant to go. Lu Cheng encouraged them warmly, and they lined up to squeeze through the crack in the door.


    Lu Cheng squatted on the ground like a beggar. He tugged at Chi Jiayan¡¯s hands. ¡°It smells so good. Kid, do you have instant noodles at home?¡±


    It was rare for Chi Jiayan to see someone who was hungrier than he was.


    He nodded, the corners of his lips curving up into a smile, revealing his dimples. ¡°I do.¡±


    Upon first impression, Chi Jiayan seemed to be a talkative person. Fortunately, he was well-behaved and quick-witted. He would answer everything asked of him without oversharing. But after Lu Cheng the chatterbox arrived, the two of them seemed to have triggered some strange switch, the conversation flowing without a valve.


    ¡ª¡±Cold water? Hey! Brat, are you sure you make it like this?¡±


    ¡ª¡±I¡¯m not a brat. I¡¯m Chi Jiayan. You can call me Jiajia.¡±


    ¡ª¡±Okay. Jiajia, could it be that you don¡¯t know how to boil water?!¡±


    ¡ª¡±That¡­I¡¯m poor, so I don¡¯t have gas¡­I can still heat it though!¡±


    ¡ª¡±Huh? Are you praying to the instant noodles? What¡­it¡¯s hot! You¡¯re a speech spirit!¡±


    ¡ª¡±Mhm.¡±


    ¡ª¡±Ahahaha, I never imagined that I¡¯d meet a speech spirit in my lifetime! Hey, what else can you do?¡±


    Ling Xiao had a headache. ¡°You two. Enough.¡±


    The conversation came to an abrupt end.


    Lu Cheng made a face at Chi Jiayan and mouthed, He has a really bad temper.


    Chi Jiayan glanced at Ling Xiao. He smiled and mouthed back, Gege is really nice.


    After thinking about it, he added, Gege¡¯s my friend.


    A gust of wind blew by, and Ling Xiao disappeared.


    Ling Xiao weaved between the tops of buildings and trees.


    Wearing his white mask and black robes, he walked freely through the night.


    For him, this was too unusual of a day.


    When his mask was on, he was the Grim Reaper.


    When his mask was off, he was Ling Xiao.


    Ling Xiao no longer remembered how many years he had existed in this world. Roughly calculating, it must¡¯ve been thousands of years. He didn¡¯t remember his age, and he didn¡¯t remember much about his past. Since the beginning of his memory, he had always been the solitary Grim Reaper, dealing with death day after day.


    Over the long years, Ling Xiao had also been seen by a few people with spiritual power.


    Some people knelt down and begged for mercy as they trembled. Some people faced their death calmly. Some people wanted to make an evil bargain with him using everything they had.


    No one had ever jumped into his arms and asked him to be his friend.


    He was not used to such a change, nor used to getting along with such a soft young boy. Ling Xiao felt like he needed some alone time.


    He searched the natal chart in his consciousness, wanting to know about what happened in the future.


    The natal chart replied quickly: Your request has been denied.


    Ling Xiao was a little annoyed.


    He didn¡¯t like how his own trajectory had been changed by this event for unknown reasons.


    For the first time in thousands of years, he felt like a thin layer of fog was appearing in front of his eyes.


    Ling Xiao returned to Chi Jiayan¡¯s house on the third floor of the Qingshui neighborhood just when dawn was about to break.


    Lu Cheng, this auxiliary god, was actually lying on the sofa and drooling.


    The young boy was sleeping on his side in the bedroom. His brows were furrowed, and there was some wetness under his eyes.


    He was indeed very small. No wonder Lu Cheng mistook him for child labor.


    Because the temperature in the early morning was a little cold, or because the Grim Reaper had arrived, the young boy curled up on himself, much like a glutinous rice dumpling.


    Ling Xiao reached up to take his mask off, and the temperature in the room rose slightly.


    Xiao Hei was lying under a cabinet, motionless, as if he was waiting to strike a mouse.


    Not long after, a black furball timidly crawled out from the bottom of the cabinet. Xiao Hei struck out. The black fur ball quickly shrank back, a shrill cry of fear coming from under the cabinet.


    The soul-devouring beast had returned, and it was being hunted by Xiao Hei.


    Ling Xiao drove Xiao Hei away. He started to listen to the report of the soul-devouring beast.


    The fur balls stood on the edge of the bed, chattering endlessly. When Ling Xiao¡¯s face grew cold, they quickly got themselves together, found their place, and lined up neatly.


    The first furball fell over, revealing a big mouth on its belly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t die yet.¡± A thick, middle-aged male voice sounded¡ªthis was the soul fragments they devoured speaking.


    Immediately afterwards, the second and third hairballs all began to speak.


    ¡°If I die, what will happen to Qiuqiu?¡±


    ¡°Everything will get better!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I definitely won¡¯t die. I want to watch Qiuqiu get married and have children!¡±


    ¡°My company will not go bankrupt!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over. My¡­My body is rotting¡­If this continues, others will find out! Perfume¡ªI have to buy perfume¡­¡±


    Ling Xiao finished listening, looking up to see that Chi Jiayan had woken up at some point.


    The two looked at each other.


    Chi Jiayan was smart, so he could already tell what had happened.


    His lips trembled uncontrollably. Suppressing the urge to cry, he asked, ¡°Gege, did I bring harm to Uncle Yu?¡±

 CH 12

    Ling Xiao said, ¡°Most likely.¡±


    Chi Jiayan sat up on the bed, tears falling drop by drop. ¡°I knew it would be like this. It¡¯s my fault. I got too close to Qiuqiu jie, and I harmed them. What do I do now¡­¡±


    Ling Xiao really didn¡¯t like it when boys cried.


    He furrowed his brows and said, ¡°First confirm the situation. Afterwards, Lu Cheng will handle things.¡±


    Once he said this, he left the room. The black furballs scuttled off the bed and followed him one by one, single-filedly burrowing into Lu Cheng¡¯s sleeves.


    Ling Xiao faced Lu Cheng and kicked him. The latter shot up, looking around with bleary eyes. ¡°An earthquake?!¡±


    And then Lu Cheng finally met Ling Xiao¡¯s icy gaze.


    ¡°Speech spirit.¡± Ling Xiao addressed Chi Jiayan, who was still in the bedroom. ¡°Stop crying.¡±


    Chi Jiayan shuffled awkwardly out of the room. He looked like he had just finished crying, as pitiful as if he had just been bullied.


    Regardless, he didn¡¯t think Ling Xiao¡¯s attitude towards him had ever been cold. Because his injured ankle made standing straight difficult, he went ahead and clung to Ling Xiao¡¯s sleeves, calling out softly, ¡°Gege¡­¡±


    Lu Cheng¡¯s expression was incredulous. His imagination had started to go various places when he was glared coldly at by Ling Xiao.


    The way the big one and small one got along was really weird¡­


    ¡°After Yu Xiaoqiu leaves, we¡¯re getting to work.¡± Ling Xiao didn¡¯t pull his sleeve away from Chi Jiayan this time.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Chi Jiayan wiped away his tears, but he still looked unhappy.


    ¡ª


    Ling Xiao said indifferently, ¡°Eat breakfast.¡±


    He spread a substantial amount of food on the table, including youtiao, eggs, milk, and lean meat congee. It looked almost like they had robbed a breakfast shop.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes lit up, but remembering the matter regarding the Yu family, he shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat¡­¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± said Ling Xiao. ¡°You won¡¯t have energy if you don¡¯t eat. You¡¯ll only make it harder for others.¡±


    Breakfast from the Grim Reaper?


    Lu Cheng was going crazy. By god, nobody would believe him if he told them! Ling Xiao, the Grim Reaper, personally bought breakfast for a human!


    Could it be that they really had that kind of relationship? Besides the fact that this speech spirit was too young, everything else was perfect!


    Lu Cheng moved towards the table as his mind raced frantically.


    ¡°Lu Cheng.¡± Without turning his head, Ling Xiao headed outside. ¡°It¡¯s going to rain soon.¡±


    Lu Cheng: ¡°???¡±


    Ling Xiao said, ¡°The glass.¡±


    The glass that was shattered by Lu Cheng last night was still scattered all over the place. Wind was blowing into the house, and if it rained, it would naturally get in the house, too.


    Ling Xiao left, but Lu Cheng didn¡¯t dare to eat the human¡¯s breakfast anymore. He squatted down and bitterly began to pick the glass up piece by piece.


    Chi Jiayan forced himself to drink a bit of milk. Dragging himself by his injured foot, he bent down to help as well.


    When Ling Xiao came back, he was wearing a black T-shirt and black pants. He looked even more handsome without his large black robe.


    Because he was about to deal with the living dead, this was more convenient.


    Qtfc Jtl Aljsjc rjk tlw gfaegc, tlr ojmf revvfcis aegcfv fzagfwfis gfv.


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    Which meant it wasn¡¯t anything good.


    ¡°What.¡± Ling Xiao turned to face Chi Jiayan.


    Chi Jiayan averted his eyes, petting Xiao Hei¡¯s fur. ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    This young boy might¡¯ve said as much, but his heartbeat was extremely fast and extremely loud, like he was flustered by something. His body temperature was also elevated. Ling Xiao could hear the sound of his rapid blood flow.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t understand the complexity of human emotions, nor did he care to. He went to hang up his black robe that he wasn¡¯t wearing anymore. When he turned his back, it could be seen that his black T-shirt had a golden totem embroidered on it, and that the totem on his black robes was gone.


    Chi Jiayan approached curiously. ¡°Is this Cang Feng?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chi Jiayan knew they were about to go to Yu Xiaoqiu¡¯s house. Heart heavy, he nodded. ¡°Okay Gege.¡±


    The two went upstairs, and upstairs, there was a ghost facing the wall.


    It had no reaction when Ling Xiao passed by, facing the wall like its mind was empty.


    Chi Jiayan asked, ¡°Gege, what is he doing?¡±


    This question had plagued him for years.


    Ling Xiao could hear the ghost¡¯s thoughts. Reaching out a finger, he poked Chi Jiayan¡¯s temple, and that ghost¡¯s thoughts were transmitted into Chi Jiayan¡¯s consciousness.


    It turned out this ghost was mute, and he had been a failed college entrance examinee over ten years ago.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in me being alive.¡±


    ¡°I should just die¡­trash. I¡¯m trash.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m rotten to the core¡­¡±


    Cang Feng stirred restlessly on his clothes. It could sense intense ghost energy. In the next second, it planned on surging forward and eating that ghost whole.


    Chi Jiayan quickly blocked it. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±


    Ling Xiao put his hand down, pupils cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s too pitiful,¡± Chi Jiayan reasoned. ¡°Gege, don¡¯t kill it. How about you let him reincarnate?¡±


    Hearing this voice, the ghost suddenly turned its head, revealing a face that had no eyes, lips, nose, or ears.


    Ling Xiao reached out a hand like he was squeezing an ant, grabbing the ghost by the neck.


    Then, he crushed it.


    The ghost became a cloud of black, dissipating in the air.


    Chi Jiayan broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°Gege?!¡±


    ¡°Pitiful ghosts don¡¯t exist in this world,¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget I am a grim reaper.¡±


    This boy was too naive.


    Ling Xiao really couldn¡¯t imagine his future self making friends with him.


    People who died normally would be turned into spirit beasts by a soul-devouring beast, then returned to the natal chart. For ghosts, they couldn¡¯t become spirit beads, and having left the path of reincarnation, had no choice but to be eliminated.


    Whether it was by the Grim Reaper¡¯s hands or by Cang Feng¡¯s appetite, all ghosts would meet the same fate, returning to dust and ashes.


    Just after finishing speaking, a girl in a ponytail came down the stairs, about seventeen or eighteen years old, exclaiming, ¡°Jiajia!¡±


    Chi Jiayan hid his dejection, smiling back. ¡°Qiuqiu jie.¡±


    The person who came was Yu Xiaoqiu.


    After greeting Chi Jiayan, she then noticed Ling Xiao, and couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly. ¡°This is?¡±


    Chi Jiayan replied, ¡°This is my Gege.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± Yu Xiaoqiu greeted him without hesitation.


    Ling Xiao¡¯s expression was aloof, not at all wanting to socialize.


    The atmosphere was a little awkward.


    Yu Xiaoqiu good-willedly asked a question. ¡°I¡¯m in a rush to my recital; there¡¯s just one more dress rehearsal. Jiajia, will you be able to come to my show? I¡¯ll give you tickets.¡±


    Chi Jiayan was startled, lowering his head and saying in a small voice, ¡°Sorry¡­I¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t get too close to me, huh,¡± Yu Xiaoqiu patted his head. ¡°Silly. Don¡¯t be so superstitious.¡±


    It started to rain.


    The rain pitter-pattered, like it was dripping onto someone¡¯s heart.


    Yu Xiaoqiu opened up the umbrella on her wrist, not continuing to chit chat with them too much. Feigning happiness, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re not guaranteed to perform anyways since it¡¯s raining. Our stage is outdoors, so maybe it¡¯ll get canceled.¡±


    Her attitude actually had a bit of regret in it.


    Chi Jiayan knew she had prepared for several days, all for one day of performance. He laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Qiuqiu jie. It¡¯ll stop raining soon.¡±


    The two parted. As soon as Yu Xiaoqiu¡¯s figure disappeared down the stairs, Chi Jiayan¡¯s nose started to bleed. This was the retribution from a speech spirit¡¯s power.


    He was accustomed to carrying around tissues to wipe his nose with.


    He heard Yu Xiaoqiu¡¯s voice from downstairs. ¡°Jiajia¡ªIt really stopped raining¡ª¡±


    Ling Xiao: ¡°The greater the wish, the harsher the retribution.¡±


    Chi Jiayan had wanted to say something, but Ling Xiao said bluntly, ¡°We¡¯re wasting time.¡±


    Saying so, they both went to the house on the fifth floor.


    Ling Xiao passed through the walls. As soon as he was inside, he smelled a peculiar scent, like a corpse mixed with perfume, altogether disgusting.


    The house was overflowing with a black death aura, almost to the point where it was thick enough to cloud the surroundings.


    He came back out to see Chi Jiayan staring blankly at the stairs, lost in thought.


    He was probably staring at that space where the pitiful ghost was.


    ¡°Speech spirit,¡± he called out unceremoniously.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chi Jiayan snapped out of it, eyes clearing. ¡°Gege? Did you see Uncle Yu?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nobody inside the house,¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°I need to go to his workplace.¡±


    Chi Jiayan considered this. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t want to be accompanied by such a feeble person, mainly because it would interfere with his sense of judgment.


    He said directly, ¡°You can¡¯t help. I¡¯ll call Lu Cheng.¡±


    Lu Cheng was currently rejoicing over the fact that he no longer had to pick up glass shards.


    When he went outside, he hid his antlers and the red outline around him, but he was still barefoot, looking like a scruffy young man.


    In reality, Lu Cheng was already over a thousand years old.


    Lu Cheng was an auxiliary god. It was very likely that he would take over the position of grim reaper in the future. But right now, he was merely in charge of the soul-devouring beasts, and he always made mistakes.


    Because he always put his energy in the wrong place.


    Like now.


    ¡°Master Ling Xiao, I really envy you.¡± Lu Cheng put his hands in his sleeves, ignoring the strange glances he got from passersby.


    The heavens had sprinkled down some rain before stopping, but the sky was still gloomy. It almost seemed like something had interrupted and gotten the rain stuck.


    The streets were damp, but Lu Cheng walked with bare feet, not feeling cold at all.


    Ling Xiao coldly said, ¡°Focus on your own work.¡±


    Lu Cheng waved his hands. ¡°Aiyou, I¡¯m not talking about work. I¡¯m saying, I¡¯ve known you for so many years, and I¡¯ve always thought you¡¯ve had no emotions, no heart, no sense of justice, and no desires all your life. Who would¡¯ve thought that after meeting that speech spirit, at least, you seem to have some humanity, so you¡¯ll fit in without too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Ling Xiao couldn¡¯t stand the noise. ¡°Make an appointment with the Dream God to check his dreams when you have the chance.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lu Cheng didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Are you worried? As expected, love makes a person value their gains and losses¡­even the Grim Reaper isn¡¯t an exception¡­¡±


    The aura on Ling Xiao¡¯s body became as deadly as a blade.


    Lu Cheng retracted his neck, moving on reflex to cover his antlers, but he remembered that he put them away. ¡°Okay okay, don¡¯t worry. He already admitted to me that he¡¯s very fond of you.¡±


    Ling Xiao really wanted to throttle this auxiliary god to death.


    It had to be that Lu Cheng was spouting nonsense while he was away earlier, which was why the boy¡¯s behavior had been so strange.


    A child with nobody to depend on would inevitably feel dependent on an adult who crossed into their lives.


    ¡°He is merely a thirteen year-old child. I have nothing to do with him.¡± Ling Xiao walked straight ahead. ¡°Don¡¯t have such filthy thoughts.¡±


    Lu Cheng: ¡°Is that so? Seems to me like a lot of things happened while you were unaware.¡±


    Ling Xiao indifferently explained the situation of his future self being here.


    Only then did Lu Cheng fully understand, falling into contemplation.


    After a while, he said, ¡°How could this happen? He regards you as a friend, but you want to kill him in the future? What if you really do become friends? Ah, and he¡¯s still so young¡­¡±


    ¡°I just need to figure out the truth. I can¡¯t prevent anything that happens in the future,¡± Ling Xiao said coldly.

 CH 13

    Yu Congshu¡¯s workplace was located downtown.


    When Ling Xiao and Lu Cheng arrived at the base of the building, Cang Feng let out a deep growl.


    This was a warning sign that meant the death aura here was skyrocketing.


    Cang Feng transformed into a young wolf, which looked a bit like a husky. It stood on the shoulders of the expressionless Ling Xiao, looking rather cute.


    Many people glanced at them frequently.


    As Lu Cheng was an auxiliary god, he was able to bypass the security checkpoint with ease. His skills had improved over the years, and the two of them successfully entered the 30th floor of Yijia Real Estate without much effort. The building covered an area of about two-thousand square meters. It should¡¯ve been a place of prosperous business, but there wasn¡¯t even a receptionist at the front desk.


    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± one employee asked.


    Lu Cheng grinned, saying, ¡°I¡¯m Chief Yu¡¯s daughter¡¯s classmate. I have something to talk to him about.¡±


    Observing his seventeen, eighteen year-old appearance, the employee half believed it until seeing his bare feet, saying doubtfully, ¡°Chief Yu said his daughter had a recital today. How come you¡¯re here?¡±


    Lu Cheng¡¯s clothes were a raggedy mess. Only his face could be considered clean.


    Beside him, Ling Xiao exuded a noble bearing. He gave off an unapproachable aura, the amber-colored pupils of his eyes as frigid as ice.


    Faced with a standstill, Lu Cheng had no choice but to snap his fingers.


    That employee immediately forgot about their suspicions, expression full of confusion.


    ¡°Have you noticed anything strange about the atmosphere at work?¡± Lu Cheng asked.


    The employee said, ¡°It stinks¡­last weekend we were off and didn¡¯t come, Chief Yu was here working overtime. Later, when the janitors arrived to clean up, they came out and puked¡­¡±


    Lu Cheng nodded. ¡°Where does Chief Yu work?¡±


    The employee pointed in one direction. Ling Xiao glanced over expressionlessly, heading that way.


    Yu Xiaoqiu¡¯s dad Yu Congshu was forty-five years-old this year. In his middle age, he established a real estate business. He had originally lived a smooth life, but his wife died of illness a few years ago, and the company¡¯s performance began to decline.


    Ling Xiao searched through the natal chart. Yu Congshu should have died from overwork during his overtime last weekend. How could it turn out to be a case of the living dead instead?


    Lu Cheng was previously in charge of arranging soul-devouring beasts to go after dead souls, thereby becoming spirit beads that could undergo reincarnation. Apart from this, he knew that it was his negligence that had caused the situation to escalate. He rubbed his nose and followed behind Ling Xiao.


    When they reached the door of the office, a stench of perfume and rot assaulted their noses.


    Lu Cheng really wanted to puke.


    With a ¡°bang¡±, Ling Xiao kicked down the door.


    A middle-aged man inside the room instantly shouted. ¡°Who are you all? How did you get in?!¡±


    Yu Congshu looked like nothing other than a corpse.


    Llr rxlc kjr yibjafv, tlr fsfr kfgf sfiibkfv, jcv atfgf kfgf ojlca rlucr bo ilnbg wbgalr jii bnfg tlr jgwr.


    Dea tf tlwrfio vlvc¡¯a rffw ab gfmbuclhf atja tf kjr vfjv. Lf kjr vgfrrfv cfjais, jcv cba j tjlg bc tlr tfjv kjr bea bo qijmf. Llr fcalgf yfjglcu ralii tjv atf jlg bo j ybrr.


    Ling Xiao stood in front of his desk, the pupils of his eyes icy. ¡°Yu Congshu, you are already dead.¡±


    The flesh on Yu Congshu¡¯s face shook. He subconsciously took two steps back.


    It was too bad he didn¡¯t know the person in front of him was the Grim Reaper, so he didn¡¯t try to escape, choosing instead to stare at Ling Xiao with bulging eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s already dead! Your mouth is full of nonsense!¡±


    Lu Cheng said, ¡°You died last weekend at three in the morning from overwork. When you woke up, you found that you had no heartbeat, but you acted like nothing had happened and went home. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong.¡± Yu Congshu¡¯s gaze was fierce. ¡°I¡¯m calling security. You all need to get lost.¡±


    He grabbed the phone, but one pale, ice-cold hand stopped him.


    Yu Congshu angrily raised his head, meeting the steely expression of Ling Xiao.


    A heart full of unwillingness to admit defeat, Yu Congshu attempted to leave his body and flee, but his spirit was held down by Ling Xiao.


    ¡°You are already dead,¡± Ling Xiao said. On his shoulders, Cang Feng hopped down, letting out a howl.


    Yu Congshu started to tremble unbeknownst to himself. ¡°Grim¡ªGrim Reaper¡­you turned out to be the Grim Reaper¡­¡±


    That day he woke up to find he had no pulse and no breath, he thought he had come across a temporary problem. He had to take care of his daughter, as well as his business that was going up in flames, so he didn¡¯t think too much of it. After a few hours, his body became softer, and it started to ventilate. He started to suspect that something was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t fathom that it was because he had already died.


    Lu Cheng let out a sigh. ¡°I say, you dead souls, who doesn¡¯t cry when they¡¯re about to be laid in their coffin?¡±


    The living dead weren¡¯t unheard of before, but they were very sly.


    The dead all gained the ability to sense the Grim Reaper, so they would all more or less find a way to escape the Grim Reaper¡¯s clutches. For some dead souls, in order to escape, they would leave their own bodies and find a living one to possess. This would harm the innocent host, and the person¡¯s lifespan would be depleted, so another solution would have to be used at that time.


    This was why Ling Xiao and Lu Cheng took on forms of normal people this time around.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t blink once when waiting for the dead soul to appear.


    Regarding the living dead, even Cang Feng wouldn¡¯t eat them.


    Ling Xiao raised his hand. Yu Congshu¡¯s body condensed into a mass of black air. As long as he exerted more force, this dead spirit would turn into dust and ashes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it!¡± a voice shouted.


    Chi Jiayan had shown up at the door at some unknown point in time. The edges of his eyes were red as he rushed inside.


    Lu Cheng: ¡°Jiajia? You followed us?¡±


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t have time to chat with him. He faced Ling Xiao and pursed his lips. ¡°Gege, I¡¯m begging you to let Uncle Yu go.¡±


    Ling Xiao furrowed his brow.


    In front of him, Chi Jiayan¡¯s forehead was dripping with sweat. The clothes on his fragile back were also soaked through.


    It seemed like he had run the whole way.


    Unknown to him, the reason why Ling Xiao didn¡¯t want him to come along earlier was because he didn¡¯t want to be influenced by his words.


    ¡°Gege, he¡¯s not a bad person,¡± Chi Jiayan said. ¡°Uncle Yu really isn¡¯t bad. I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    ¡°Speech spirit,¡± said Ling Xiao, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t have come. You¡¯re too weak.¡±


    Yu Congshu¡¯s murky tears fell, mixing with bloodstains. Looking at him was really quite terrifying.


    The stench of rot dispersed through the air.


    ¡°Jiajia! Quickly save me!¡± He faced Chi Jiayan and yelled. ¡°Xiaoqiu has always been nice to you, so you must save me!¡±


    Chi Jiayan pleaded, ¡°Gege, don¡¯t kill Uncle Yu. He doesn¡¯t deserve this kind of ending. He¡¯s a good person!¡±


    Ling Xiao: ¡°He should be eliminated for going against the natural law. This has nothing to do with good or bad.¡±


    It was only when Chi Jiayan saw Ling Xiao get rid of that examinee ghost on the stairs that he realized in the eyes of the Grim Reaper, death had no meaning.


    He had wanted to come along, but Ling Xiao had been against it.


    It was only then that he realized this person was not simply someone who had bought him ice cream and walked him home; he was the Grim Reaper who ruled over death. That being said, when he said he would take him away the next time they met, even if he forgot, Ling Xiao would still do it.


    It was lucky he was able to follow them here, hoping he would make it in time.


    Chi Jiayan was a little desperate.


    ¡°You really¡­can¡¯t give him any leniency?¡± he muttered. ¡°The world has so many bad people. Even though Chi Rui and his group still exist, you wouldn¡¯t let me curse them to death. Is the natural law that important? Why can¡¯t you use good and bad to determine life or death?¡±


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t know who Chi Rui was, but he figured it was probably someone his future self knew. He said coldly, ¡°Naive. Not just anyone can defy the natal chart¡¯s equilibrium.¡±


    Lu Cheng tried to pull Chi Jiayan away, but the other party had no response.


    A chill settled in the air. The room was at a deadlock. Ling Xiao didn¡¯t move, seemingly wanting to allow this boy to understand the significance of death.


    ¡°Gege, take me away.¡± After a moment, Chi Jiayan raised his head to look Ling Xiao head on, eyes resolute. ¡°This way, won¡¯t the equilibrium be maintained? I¡¯m a bad person anyway, so I might as well be picked off first.¡±


    Ling Xiao was taken aback for a second. He had never heard someone say something like this, and it made him a bit angry. ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t kill you?¡±


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s face paled. ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Ling Xiao said, ¡°Speech spirit, don¡¯t think you can influence me left and right. I am not the person you think I am.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Chi Jiayan mumbled. ¡°I know you¡¯ll kill me sooner or later.¡±


    Ling Xiao¡¯s impression of him had changed a bit.


    Based on his experiences with this boy, he always thought Chi Jiayan was soft and weak. He was a child trying to survive in the cracks. Even if he wasn¡¯t afraid of death, he was trying his hardest to live, like the branch of a delicate and ignorant flower.


    ¡°People all have one death. There¡¯s no point in me being alive.¡± Chi Jiayan forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll say bye to Uncle Yu and Qiuqiu jie and enter the cycle of reincarnation. Isn¡¯t this better?¡±


    Ling Xiao felt that this kind of smile was hard to look at. ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of dying?¡±


    Chi Jiayan said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid. But Gege, you¡¯re my friend. When I die, I¡¯ll probably be with you. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m not scared anymore.¡±


    Ling Xiao relaxed his hand.


    Cang Feng also returned to his black clothes, becoming that golden totem.


    The Grim Reaper restabilized his breath.


    He¡­basically understood why his future self would want to become friends with this boy.


    Yu Congshu sat up. The loose skin on his face shuddered. He wanted to say thank you to Chi Jiayan, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to.


    As expected, the heart was soft¡­Was this speech spirit¡¯s influence really that grand? His lips said one thing, but his body language said another. Lu Cheng sighed, ¡°Yu Congshu, are you still going to flee?¡±


    Yu Congshu shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t say a word.


    Chi Jiayan squatted on the ground. ¡°Uncle Yu, Qiuqiu jie has a recital today. You should say goodbye.¡±


    Lu Cheng picked Yu Congshu up by the collar. ¡°Spray on some more perfume. If you go out like this, you¡¯ll scare everyone to death. To make sure your heart doesn¡¯t go astray, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    The two left the office. Yu Congshu turned his head as they walked. ¡°Is Jiajia going to die?¡±


    Lu Cheng shoved him. ¡°Uncle, how could he? Worry about yourself¡­For you to be able to see your daughter in your final moments, consider yourself fortunate¡­¡±


    Inside the office, Chi Jiayan closed his eyes.


    Ling Xiao looked down at him.


    ¡°Gege can punch me,¡± Chi Jiayan said. ¡°I¡¯m willing to die by your hands.¡±


    Ling Xiao said, ¡°You won¡¯t be with me even if you die.¡±


    Chi Jiayan opened his eyes, puzzled. ¡°Why?¡±


    Ling Xiao¡¯s face was hidden by the shadows. ¡°Because the place where I come from¡ªis hell.¡±

 CH 14

    Influenced by the words of a speech spirit, the rain finally came to a halt after two hours.


    Ling Xiao and Chi Jiayan stood at a bus stop. There weren¡¯t many passersby, and the air smelled like sweat and dust mixed together by the dampness.


    Chi Jiayan watched the curtain of rainwater drip. His heart was full of worry as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if Qiuqiu jie¡¯s recital is over yet. Uncle Yu, he¡­¡±


    Ling Xiao¡¯s facial expression was grave. His mind was still uncontrollably fixated on how he¡¯d said he was from hell earlier.


    He said the place he came from was hell.


    Actually, that was more of a description than anything. It was in accordance with where this world thought the Grim Reaper was from.


    Ling Xiao actually came from another high-dimensional world. As the earliest human beings who migrated to a higher dimension in ancient times, they had always been concerned about the low-dimensional world. No one knows who discovered the connection between the two worlds. If there was a mistake or disorder in the low-dimensional world, the high-dimensional world would be greatly affected. In order to ensure order, they invented the natal chart and assigned different people to carry out different tasks. Among them, Fate was the leader who came to the low-dimensional world to maintain order.


    Over time, a few humans from the lower dimension found out about this. They embellished the truth, formed multiple religions, and therefore formed different gods.


    Ling Xiao had one memory, and that was to oversee the human world¡¯s hardest job¡ªdeath.


    He was without sadness, without happiness, without greed, without demands.


    There came to be this one person, belonging to no one.


    Fate told him he shouldered a heavy responsibility. He needed to persevere until the day of Great Harmony was reached, and once everything was tranquil, he would be able to rest.


    Rather than the job itself, he felt like this was a type of punishment.


    He couldn¡¯t return to his own world, because his job had no end.


    He also had no way of integrating with humankind, because he didn¡¯t share their emotions.


    For Ling Xiao, his life was tantamount to nothing.


    Thinking like that, without any end in sight, wasn¡¯t that basically a hell in itself?


    When they were still in Yu Congshu¡¯s office, when he said he came from hell, it was only after he had spoken that he realized he had already unknowingly developed a kind of distaste towards his own existence.


    How had Chi Jiayan responded?


    Oh yeah, that naive speech spirit had said, ¡°So what? I¡¯m willing to accompany Gege to hell. If I can¡¯t, you have to promise to come save me. Dying on my own would be lonely.¡±


    He had remembered up to this point when Ling Xiao felt himself being tugged on by someone.


    ¡°Gege, let¡¯s go.¡± Chi Jiayan tugged on his sleeves. ¡°The bus is here.¡±


    At some point, a bright red bus had stopped in front of them. After being washed by the rainwater, its color seemed even more vibrant.


    Against the red backdrop, Chi Jiayan¡¯s complexion looked even paler, the darkness of his pupils like condensed ink.


    They followed the crowd onto the bus. The inside was even more crowded, so Ling Xiao held onto the bus handles. Since Chi Jiayan was short, he hugged onto Ling Xiao¡¯s arm tightly, seemingly more affectionate than usual.


    It was probably because Ling Xiao not only let Yu Congshu go, but also because he spared his life as well.


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    Lf vlvc¡¯a jcalmlqjaf Olcu Wljb ab ibbx eq. Ktf ujhfr bo atf akb mbiilvfv lc atf klcvbk.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s face suddenly flushed.


    ¡°Speech spirit, what are you looking at?¡± Ling Xiao asked.


    Chi Jiayan subconsciously let go of Ling Xiao¡¯s arm and said what he was trying to hide. ¡°No¡ªNothing. I wasn¡¯t looking at you.¡±


    Ling Xiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Chi Jiayan looked very distressed.


    He lowered his head until only a pair of reddened earlobes could be seen against his black hair. ¡°I¡ªI just wanted to say thank you to Gege.¡±


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Because after I met you, it was always Gege accommodating me,¡± Chi Jiayan said. ¡°Five years ago it was like that, this year it was like that, and just now it was like that, too. I know I affected Gege¡¯s job, so I wanted to say thank you.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Ling Xiao faintly knit his brow.


    He didn¡¯t know why no matter which version of himself it was, it seemed that he was bound to be led around by the nose because of this boy.


    He had to adapt to this change.


    Chi Jiayan hadn¡¯t finished speaking his piece when the bus came to a halt, and he stumbled a bit.


    Luckily, Ling Xiao grabbed him by the collar before he fell. It was like he was holding a baby chick, light as a feather, practically weightless.


    After they got off the bus, Ling Xiao walked on ahead. Behind him, Chi Jiayan shouted his name.


    Ling Xiao turned his head. Chi Jiayan was smiling, puffed up like he had gathered all his courage. ¡°Gege, since you¡¯re the Grim Reaper, we agreed that the next time we meet is when you have to definitely take me away. But I really wanted to tell you, meeting you¡­really was the luckiest thing to happen to me in this lifetime.¡±


    Nobody had ever told the Grim Reaper that meeting him was lucky.


    Ling Xiao¡¯s pupils darkened. He walked away expressionlessly.


    He still had a lot to do. This world really had too many death instances to deal with.


    ¡ª


    The next time Ling Xiao saw Chi Jiayan was a month later.


    That day, a construction site had a huge accident. Ten or so people were killed, all of them violent deaths.


    Lu Cheng received orders to provide assistance.


    After sorting out the situation rather clumsily and messily, Lu Cheng started to tease. ¡°Master Ling Xiao, now that you¡¯re wearing human clothes, you look a lot younger than when you were wearing your black robes. Are you finally starting to let loose a little?¡±


    Ling Xiao¡¯s mansion in the underworld held innumerous black robes. All of them were given to him by Fate, and there were a total of about a hundred sets.


    But recently, Ling Xiao bought a lot of black clothes, all in accordance with the latest fashion trends in the human world.


    Maybe subconsciously, he wanted to escape the lifestyle of a grim reaper already.


    But these pesky thoughts were forcibly suppressed down by himself. Ling Xiao wouldn¡¯t let himself express such a fluctuating state of mind, nor could he tell the next grim reaper in line, Lu Cheng, about this.


    ¡°Oh right, speaking of clothes, last time I was at Jiajia¡¯s place, he was doing your laundry.¡± Lu Cheng snorted, almost rolling on the floor. ¡°He¡¯s so poor, he doesn¡¯t even own a washing machine. He was sitting on a stool and using a big basin to wash. I bet he¡¯s not even as tall as your clothes.¡±


    Ling Xiao did indeed leave one of his black robes back in that messy as hell house.


    He took off his mask, phoenix eyes calmer than the sea. ¡°Whose house did you go to?¡±


    Lu Cheng clicked his tongue. ¡°Ai, it was because of that Yu Congshu situation.¡±


    That day, after Yu Congshu had attended his daughter¡¯s recital, he sorted some business out in his car before accepting surrender.


    People thought he had died suddenly, but only Yu Xiaoqiu knew what had really happened.


    Chi Jiayan had attended the funeral. He had only been watching from afar when Yu Xiaoqiu had spotted him. She had complicated feelings towards Chi Jiayan. She was thankful, but also sympathetic, but the pain of being orphaned made her want to think over the rumors she had heard about Chi Jiayan more.


    Disaster star. Bearer of ill luck. Those descriptions were what everyone around him described Chi Jiayan as.


    Yu Xiaoqiu never believed them, but now that she held contempt, she also had fear.


    Lu Cheng brought his soul-devouring beasts with him to observe. He smoothly collected the spirit bead, and as he was about to leave, he saw a familiar figure.


    He thought Chi Jiayan would cry.


    But who would¡¯ve thought, with his eyes red, Chi Jiayan was able to smile, two dimples appearing on his face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. After all¡­Qiuqiu jie was never my friend.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t your friend and you were still willing to trade your life for her dad¡¯s?¡± Lu Cheng was astonished. ¡°You¡¯re way too saintly!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve it.¡± Chi Jiayan pretended not to care. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t deserve friends.¡±


    Lu Cheng continued to jabber on with Ling Xiao. ¡°WTF, it was really just too fucking sad. Don¡¯t you know, watching him smile like that was really too hard to look at. Is every speech spirit that miserable?¡±¡¯


    Ling Xiao summoned Cang Feng, climbing onto his back to sit up high. ¡°Everyone has sins from their past to bear on their shoulders.¡±


    Lu Cheng waved his hand. ¡°Ei? The conversation suddenly got dark. Oh, last time you met with the Dream God to check his dreams, what did you see? They should be pretty interesting!¡±


    ¡°No comment,¡± Ling Xiao said.


    Cang Feng puffed out air from its nose. Its ears twitched and its claws flexed before soaring into the sky with Ling Xiao in tow.


    The leftover Lu Cheng scratched his ear. He absentmindedly opened his sleeves and let his spirit-devouring beasts loose, still thinking, confused. Was that kid not all that met the eye? Why did Master Ling Xiao purposely want to see his dreams? Was there something he couldn¡¯t say?


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t know there was someone spying and looking at his dreams.


    He sank into his big, soft pillow. His black hair covered half his face, and his figure looked like a child who had yet to grow up.


    In the middle of the night, Ling Xiao arrived. He stood silently by the bed.


    And the Dream God who accompanied him entered Chi Jiayan¡¯s dreamland.


    The Dream God held a crystal ball in her hand. It kept flashing fragments of Chi Jiayan¡¯s dream.


    The fragments were made of fantasy and reality, and it would take some effort to make sense of them.


    ¡°Master Ling Xiao,¡± The Dream God said. ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    Ling Xiao said, ¡°¡­Me.¡±


    The Dream God had always been taciturn.


    Her rainbow hair was radiant, and when her eyes were closed, there were delicate butterflies on her eyelashes.


    Such a fairy-like figure created an extreme juxtaposition next to the gloomy Grim Reaper.


    Hearing such a request, the Dream God almost wanted to ask more, but just as she opened her mouth, she was met with the Grim Reaper¡¯s cold eyes.


    Even though he was a fellow god of this world, the Dream God couldn¡¯t help but tremble, feeling a little overwhelmed.


    As the crystal ball spun, Ling Xiao saw many things he wasn¡¯t aware of. He saw Chi Jiayan crying into a box of paper bills of different values. He saw Chi Jiayan secretly following behind Yu Xiaoqiu, blessing her again and again.


    Of course, he also saw glimpses of Chi Jiayan¡¯s lonely life.


    His parents had passed away suddenly. His classmates rejected him, and his teachers always ignored him.


    He saw his cousin who would deliberately scold him from the stairwell, as well as those ghosts who would stare at him along the street.


    Chi Jiayan lived in the cracks of life, but he had a strong ability to survive, like an ant who lived an ignoble existence.


    What¡¯s more, Ling Xiao saw himself.


    To be exact, he saw his future self.


    The rainy road, the driver yelling, and the black cat.


    The swimming pool under the sun, the near-death experience of almost drowning, and the boulevard they walked down together.


    Gradually, these fragments made Ling Xiao understand one thing. Every time the future self time-traveled, it was to the moment of Chi Jiayan¡¯s death. Chi Jiayan was fully aware of this, which is why he said that the next time they met would be when he was taken away. From beginning to end, Chi Jiayan knew he would die by the hands of the Grim Reaper.


    As for the reason why Chi Jiayan still tried to get close to him, Ling Xiao didn¡¯t know.


    He thought he would never see that child again.


    TL Note: This is just a random tidbit, but as crass as Lu Cheng¡¯s manner of speech seems, he refers to Ling Xiao with the formal ¡°you¡±.

 CH 15

    yoantlers [Translator]11-14 minutes


    When Ling Xiao got to Chi Jiayan¡¯s house, it was a mess.


    It was more random than before. dbBk6T


    The glass window on the balcony had been shattered again at some point¡ªdefinitely having something to do with Lu Cheng.


    Useless pieces of junk and appliances had all been thrown away, but whatever was left in good condition had been wrapped up with saran wrap. A corner of the room had paint buckets and paintbrushes and paint rollers. The two adjacent walls had been partially painted. The walls that were now the color of green beans made the house look a little more open and cleaner.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    Chi Jiayan had just gotten back from school. He jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of Ling Xiao, eyes unable to hide his shock. ¡°Gege!¡±


    Cang Feng popped its big head in through the window. WEfpuo


    Luckily, Xiao Hei had been averse to the oily smell of the paint and had run off somewhere, otherwise there would¡¯ve been another gnashing of teeth and fangs.


    Chi Jiayan wouldn¡¯t have liked that.


    Ling Xiao expressionlessly shot him a glance. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Chi Jiayan threw his bookbag off to the side, grinning wide. ¡°Interior decorating! I did it myself!¡±


    JgGd3o


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The humans of this world seemed to love doing these meaningless tasks.


    ¡°¡­Gege, don¡¯t you like places that are clean and tidy?¡± Chi Jiayan had just spoken when he realized he had let slip something he hadn¡¯t meant to. He subconsciously covered his mouth with his hand before letting it go, revealing his red face. ¡°Lu Cheng told me. He said the reason Gege doesn¡¯t come here is because it¡¯s too messy and dirty.¡±


    Ling Xiao said, ¡°No.¡± 4PRbBO


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes widened, perplexed. ¡°Then why?¡±


    Ling Xiao said indifferently, ¡°I never wanted to come.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The young boy¡¯s energy suddenly became downcast. yquBPw


    It wasn¡¯t like Ling Xiao was unaffected.


    It was just that since meeting this young boy, he felt like he had lost control of himself.


    Ling Xiao looked away from him. He asked straightforwardly, ¡°Where are my clothes?¡±


    Chi Jiayan stared blankly for a few seconds before he realized what he was asking. He slowly responded, ¡°In my wardrobe.¡± 0xm1Dd


    Since the living room was being worked on, all the furniture and things were stacked up in the bedroom.


    Chi Jiayan had to move aside a lot of bits and bobs. After hauling over a stool, he was able to reach the tall wardrobe.


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    Inside the crowded wardrobe was a bunch of clothes, not all of them belonging to Chi Jiayan. There were women¡¯s and men¡¯s clothes, all of which had designs popular in past years. These were likely remnants of his parents, so he had reason to take good care of them even still. The clothes were all messily piled together, but aside from them, there was one black robe set apart.


    It was hung up neatly, taking up quite a lot of space on its own. y23SZO


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been here for so long, and I wasn¡¯t sure if it was even okay to wash it.¡± Chi Jiayan took down the robe. It was just as Lu Cheng had said: he really was shorter than the length of the robe. ¡°But I took care of it really well. Gege, take a look.¡±


    Ling Xiao took back the black robe.


    Lf jmaejiis tjv jc jyecvjcmf bo yijmx gbyfr, jcv atfs kfgfc¡¯a bgvlcjgs, rb atfgf kjr cfnfg j cffv ab kjrt atfw lc atf olgra qijmf.


    Lf cfnfg atbeuta atja atfgf kbeiv yf j vjs ktfgf j tewjc ybs kbeiv vb atf Xglw Efjqfg¡¯r ijecvgs. mHv9Tw


    Olcu Wljb fzqgfrrlbcifrris kjixfv ab atf yjimbcs, milwylcu eq Jjcu Mfcu¡¯r obgfilwyr ab gfjmt tlr yjmx.


    He heard the boy call out after him, making a ruckus as he tripped over a bunch of things just to follow.


    But he didn¡¯t look back.


    Cang Feng carried him far off into the sky. NQDisy


    Very soon, that boy left standing on the balcony looked to be merely a black dot.


    Ling Xiao had underestimated this boy¡¯s energy.


    He thought he would never see that speech spirit again. However, he kept seeing evidence of that speech spirit popping up now and again.


    Sometimes it would be a piece of candy left at a crime scene. O9p4zq


    Sometimes it would be a dessert left outside a funeral hall.


    Sometimes it would be a glimpse of a familiar face along the path to the next death instance.


    It was obviously the juvenile work of some boy.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t quite understand what he wanted. kQCIYJ


    Ling Xiao eventually grew accustomed to these habits. He treated them coldly, not wanting to enable such actions. However, if there ever was a ghost who tried to take these little gifts for their own, they would promptly be swallowed up by Cang Feng.


    Ling Xiao was the Grim Reaper. He absolutely didn¡¯t want to mingle with a human.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    Not to mention that this human was supposed to die by his hands.


    At some point though, those little acts of kindness came to an abrupt halt. QKdnfe


    After dealing with a batch of mass poisoning incidents, Ling Xiao was physically and mentally exhausted. He stood at the entrance of the hospital after Cang Feng returned to his robes.


    The media had already reported extensively about this incident, so there was no way the boy didn¡¯t know about it.


    He looked around, but he couldn¡¯t catch sight of the boy¡¯s shadow.


    Humans were indeed creatures without perseverance. Fl4Kos


    Ling Xiao sneered in his heart and left on his own.


    Two days later, Ling Xiao rode Cang Feng to the outside of the Qingshui neighborhood. Standing on top of a tree, he could see that through the window of Chi Jiayan¡¯s house, it was pitch black inside. Before, whenever he passed by here, he would see lights inside the house.


    Chi Jiayan had no family or friends, so he was home everyday without anywhere to go.


    The next day, when Ling Xiao still saw the dark window, he wondered, where did Chi Jiayan go? ftmOQe


    No one disappeared for no reason.


    Chi Jiayan shouldn¡¯t have died yet. His life shouldn¡¯t have been in grave danger, but it didn¡¯t mean that other things couldn¡¯t have happened.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t want to admit that he was a little worried.


    When he snapped out of his thoughts, he found Cang Feng sniffing the candy left in his pocket. gJ6qK2


    They traveled all  the way south, following Chi Jiayan¡¯s scent to a villa area. The tree-lined roads along the mountainside here were staggered, similarly to the place he had seen through the Dream God¡¯s crystal ball. In other words, Chi Jiayan was likely at his uncle¡¯s house.


    Ling Xiao stood in front of the villa wearing a mask, silent as the night wind.


    Cang Feng returned to its golden totem form after its job had been completed.


    The swimming pool in the front was the one where Chi Jiayan had almost drowned. CbOeIF


    Flashbacks of the incident played before Ling Xiao¡¯s eyes. To his surprise, even though it was a dream, it implied that this incident had truly happened in the past, and though it was already in the past, he felt a slight anger welling up in his heart.


    Someone came out from the house, standing next to the pool to smoke. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.


    Another person with a head of bleached blond hair followed after him. ¡°Chi Rui, if we keep going, he¡¯s gonna die.¡±


    ¡°That disaster star¡¯s not going down that easily.¡± Chi Rui shook his cigarette. ¡°I made him eat a bellyful of incense when he was little, and he didn¡¯t die. It¡¯s always been him harming people. Others can¡¯t harm him.¡± fu0YDE


    ¡°But he won¡¯t yield.¡± The blond haired one spit on the ground. ¡°If we keep going and get found out, it¡¯ll be our problem.¡±


    Chi Rui said, ¡°I have an idea.¡±


    Ling Xiao followed them back into the house. He found that inside was a whole gang of scrappy, lowlife hooligans. There weren¡¯t any adults in sight.


    What was more surprising, in the midst of the foul atmosphere, there was a single girl who obviously didn¡¯t look like she belonged there. m0pcs


    It was Yu Xiaoqiu.


    Yu Xiaoqiu sat on the sofa, face wan, trembling ever so slightly.


    Chi Rui walked over and touched her face in a familiar manner. ¡°Qiuqiu, it¡¯s all up to you now. You already know he¡¯d do anything for you. Go down and say a few words to him, let him say something to let us win?¡±


    Yu Xiaoqiu knew what they meant was winning a sports gamble. cZrItO


    Taking advantage of the fact that his parents were out, Chi Rui stole their credit card and gathered his friends to gamble. He borrowed from a loan shark, and the revolving interest was more than three million.


    Now that the situation couldn¡¯t be kept under control anymore, he needed Chi Jiayan to say just one sentence, letting the sports team they¡¯d bet on win in a breeze.


    ¡°Chi. Rui.¡± Yu Xiaoqiu covered her face. ¡°Stop forcing me.¡±


    ¡°Did you forget? He¡¯s the one who brought death to your father.¡± Chi Rui rubbed his head. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been so good to him, would he ever have harmed your dad? Who¡¯s to say he didn¡¯t curse you, just like how he cursed our grandfather, how he cursed me; everyone who helps him has the same fate.¡± rGVOpP


    ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­¡± Yu Xiaoqiu¡¯s tears leaked between her fingers.


    ¡°I already asked an expert. The source of his spiritual power is our kindness. The softer we are and the closer we get to him, the stronger his spiritual power will be. How could he not know? Don¡¯t be fooled by how Chi Jiayan usually is. He looks innocent, but he did all those terrible things with his own hands. Why should we let such a monster go?¡± Chi Rui¡¯s expression grew more and more fierce.


    The blond haired hooligan said, ¡°Right. This plan was originally set by everyone, and now it¡¯s too late for you to quit. Yu Xiaoqiu, don¡¯t mistake what¡¯s good and bad.¡±


    Yu Xiaoqiu refused to go no matter what. d5HN7K


    It was a pity it was too late.


    Chi Rui had already lost all rationality.


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    He dragged Yu Xiaoqiu and went to the basement. The others followed to watch the excitement. It seemed like they were already used to this series of events.


    Ling Xiao remained silent, also going down the stairs. OImJCM


    In the dim light, his first glance was drawn to the thin figure there.


    ¡°It¡¯s so cold.¡± One person shivered. ¡°Chi Rui, is this a basement or a fucking freezer?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so cold, there has to be a ghost.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of unusual shit, I just came down earlier and it wasn¡¯t this cold.¡± igFpCw


    ¡°Shut up and put your earplugs in, don¡¯t get controlled!¡±


    Chi Jiayan was huddled in a dark corner. He probably hadn¡¯t eaten for days, and had lost a lot of weight.


    An iron chain was fastened to his skinny right ankle, giving him a range of motion of about one to two meters.


    When he saw Yu Xiaoqiu, his eyes flashed for a moment. ¡°Qiuqiu jie.¡± nAOHrQ


    Yu Xiaoqiu was also wearing earplugs. It was obvious it wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d been down.


    In other words, she was probably the reason Chi Jiayan was here.


    Yu Xiaoqiu was standing numbly. Chi Rui shoved a tablet at her. ¡°Show him. Let him say which team has to win. Tell him as long as we win, I¡¯ll let him go.¡±


    With red eyes, Yu Xiaoqiu handed the tablet over to Chi Jiayan. dYuU0s


    Her hands were shaking, and she was choking with sobs.


    She had regrets, but if you ride a tiger, it¡¯s hard to stop; it was too late to turn back.


    Chi Jiayan stared at her trembling hands and said casually, ¡°Qiuqiu jie, why are you with them? Did you know how worried I was about you? They said if I let them win, they¡¯d let you go. I didn¡¯t dare because I was afraid they¡¯d lie to me and backtrack on their words. But it turns out you¡­¡±


    It was unclear whether or not Yu Xiaoqiu had heard. z9XQ3D


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t continue. ¡°¡­Forget it.¡±


    He reached for the tablet.


    Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com


    But he was stopped by a pale, slender hand with well-defined knuckles.


    He was immediately engulfed in that familiar, cold aura. MEr5Im


    He looked up, and that pale mask was close enough to reach.


    Ling Xiao¡¯s eyes were as cold as ice that had been frozen for thousands of years.


    Chi Jiayan laughed, as bright as a summer flower. ¡°Gege.¡±


    6ASlrs

 CH 16

    yoantlers [Translator]12-15 minutes


    Chi Rui only saw the shape of his mouth move, vaguely recognizing the word ¡°gege¡± form. His face darkened, and he said darkly, ¡°Now you¡¯re admitting defeat?¡±


    Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t even looking at him. He was staring at a certain space in the air, a little happily. ¡°You finally decided to see me. How did you know I¡¯d be here?¡± g2iXSd


    Ling Xiao had been carried here by Cang Feng, and it was a place that had shown up in his dreams.


    But he said nothing, not quite understanding why Chi Jiayan was smiling.


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    ¡°Ah, I forgot you¡¯ve been here before,¡± Chi Jiayan said. ¡°Did Gege finally remember?¡±


    Ling Xiao was suddenly displeased by this misunderstanding. kKW9P0


    ¡°No.¡± Ling Xiao paused, then expressionlessly said, ¡°Speech spirit, I am not who you think I am.¡±


    Chi Jiayan stared at him blankly.


    In this dark, dingy, and frigid space, the blond haired hooligan had a skin full of goosebumps. He nudged Chi Rui. ¡°Who¡¯s this kid talking to? Why is he so weird?¡±


    Chi Rui also didn¡¯t understand, so he moved closer. The others all shuffled around to assess the situation.


    gez9lJ


    Yu Xiaoqiu suddenly covered her mouth. The lock and chain on Chi Jiayan¡¯s ankle suddenly broke.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡±


    She screamed.


    Everyone jumped in fright, exclaiming in confusion. They all pulled out their ear plugs one after another. elh0go


    From within the basement came the howl of a wolf, piercing through the depths of their souls. It drew out their fear and dread, causing them all to tremble against their will.


    ¡°A ghost!¡±


    ¡°And a wolf! There¡¯s a wolf somewhere!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the wolf??¡± mWFIHo


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, it¡¯s just an illusion! Quickly tie up that snot-nosed brat!¡± Chi Rui yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape!¡±


    A few people had just started to move forward. Their hands hadn¡¯t even touched Chi Jiayan when they were blasted back by some invisible force, spitting up blood as they cried out.


    Shortly after, a tall and overbearing figure in black materialized out of thin air.


    It was a man as cold as frost, his five facial features handsome and as sharp as a knife. umqKZd


    His face was expressionless. There was no sign of human emotion within the depths of his eyes. In the dim lighting, his pale face almost seemed to give off light.


    ¡°Humans,¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°Your existences are so annoying.¡±


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    ¡°Ghost! It¡¯s a ghost!¡±


    ¡°Save me!!!¡± sCQ7MX


    These pieces of scum scattered and fled, scared witless.


    Ling Xiao grabbed the air, and a golden whip took form. With one lash, everyone was rounded up.


    And with another lash, everyone was thrown against the wall in a heap of screams.


    Te Wljbdle kjr vewyragemx ktfgf rtf kjr. Vtf tjv rffc atlr wjc yfobgf, yea cfnfg vlv la mgbrr tfg wlcv atja tf kjr¡­atja tf kjr¡­ hsYK5k


    Vtf revvfcis aegcfv ab Jtl Aljsjc. Ktf ijaafg kjrc¡¯a regqglrfv lc atf rilutafra. Pa kjr ilxf la kjr cjaegji obg atja wjc ab jma jr tlr uejgvljc jcufi.


    ¡°Spare us Jiajia!¡± The blond haired hooligan crawled towards Chi Jiayan¡¯s legs, grabbing hold of his pants. ¡°Don¡¯t kill us!¡±


    Chi Jiayan thought he was gross, kicking him away.


    ¡°Qiuqiu jie, you should leave first,¡± Chi Jiayan said to her. There was no hatred in his eyes, not even anger. xw0kGb


    Yu Xiaoqiu blinked. Tears suddenly fell from her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡± Chi Jiayan smiled, his dimples showing. ¡°You should still keep your distance from me in the future. That way, you won¡¯t get caught up in a mess like this again.¡±


    Yu Xiaoqiu turned and left. pkU3Gy


    After seeing her go, Chi Jiayan turned to face Chi Rui. ¡°My gege came to save me. Chi Rui, are you scared?¡±


    Chi Rui looked at him with bitter resentment. ¡°What do you want? Don¡¯t forget, your life is still under the hands of my family.¡±


    Chi Jiayan squatted down. After not eating for a few days, he was dizzy. In this posture, he looked even more thin and frail. In a monotone voice, he said, ¡°You lost money, and you only needed me to say one thing to fix it, but I wouldn¡¯t save you even if I died. Your mistake was getting Qiuqiu jie to threaten me. Not only do you not care about your relatives, you also have no morals. Chi Rui, I thought you learned your lesson, but who knew you were really this vile.¡±


    ¡°I am your gege.¡± Chi Rui shouted, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t save me even if I were to die?¡± WytcxN


    ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡± Saying this, Chi Jiayan looked at Ling Xiao. ¡°That¡¯s my real gege.¡±


    Chi Rui also faced Ling Xiao. In a rapid change of expression, he became deranged, grabbing a brick off to the side to ruthlessly charge at Chi Jiayan. ¡°Go die!¡±


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    Chi Jiayan had been starving for days. His reaction times weren¡¯t as sharp, and there was no way he could block Chi Rui.


    Luckily, Ling Xiao suddenly moved in front of him. Chi Rui¡¯s hand made two cracking sounds. The brick in his hand fell to the ground, followed by an ear piercing shriek. iV2v45


    With this one intent to murder also came the wrath of the Grim Reaper.


    Chi Rui faced his own death instance.


    Humans naturally faced fear when confronted with death. His eyes widened, terrified, every one of his hopes crumbling to dust.


    Ling Xiao¡¯s robes were tugged on. du1E8o


    Chi Jiayan said, ¡°Gege.¡±


    At some point, the entire basement had become inundated with a heavy black fog.


    The people scattered across the floor, as well as Yu Xiaoqiu, were all unable to flee. The black fog from the Underworld entered straight through their mouths and noses, painfully assaulting all five of their senses.


    If this was to continue a little longer, five lives would be taken here. aJKWBl


    ¡°Gege, are you going to kill them?¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s voice brought Ling Xiao back to his senses.


    Ling Xiao thought it was almost laughable. ¡°Are you pleading with me?¡±


    This speech spirit had been locked here, almost losing his life, and he still cared about these scum.


    Chi Jiayan bit his lip and said with difficulty, ¡°I¡¯m not pleading with you¡­It¡¯s just that you shouldn¡¯t act like this.¡± R9jpts


    Ling Xiao released his hand, coldly looking at him.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this because of me. Lu Cheng told me, life and death are ruled by fate. Even Gege can¡¯t go against it.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s face was concerningly pale. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯ll be done for.¡±


    They could still hear the endless choking sounds from the people on the ground.


    Ling Xiao silently withdrew the black fog, his expression even colder than before. I1h4it


    The sleeve Chi Jiayan had been holding onto suddenly disappeared from his grasp.


    Ling Xiao had already exited the villa. He summoned Cang Feng and soared into the sky, his fury not completely abiding.


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    Cang Feng spiraled into the night sky and became one with the stars.


    This was the first time Ling Xiao had ever been this furious. vRaGPI


    He was not only furious at those pieces of scum, but more importantly, he was furious at his own loss of control.


    Just because of that child he had briefly come across, he had been willing to break the natal chart, if only to allow those who deserved to die become bones and ashes.


    This was the first time he didn¡¯t want to listen to the equilibrium of the natal chart.


    Chi Jiayan walked alone on the street. fYM4oK


    He didn¡¯t have any money, and he had starved for a while, so he walked sluggishly.


    After a while, Ling Xiao suddenly appeared in front of him, not saying a word.


    ¡°Can you carry me?¡± Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t surprised.


    Ling Xiao squatted down. oUNV8r


    Chi Jiayan happily crawled onto his back. Ling Xiao supported his thighs and stood up, not at all feeling like there was any weight there.


    ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t showered for a few days.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s voice was muffled. ¡°I probably stink.¡±


    Ling Xiao: ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°They really should die.¡± Chi Jiayan laid down on Ling Xiao¡¯s back. ¡°Good thing you came, or else I would¡¯ve continued to smell.¡± IMsiHA


    Seeing that Ling Xiao wasn¡¯t saying anything, Chi Jiayan thought he was still mad from earlier, so he obediently said, ¡°I already lectured them. I told them they weren¡¯t allowed to leave the basement and that they had to starve for at least three days before they could go, so they couldn¡¯t move. I even had them slap each other in the face until they were all swollen. Hahahaha! What a bunch of pig heads.¡±


    ¡°Childish,¡± Ling Xiao laughed coldly. ¡°You almost died.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡± Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t the least bit concerned. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could die that easily. I¡¯m not even afraid of dying, did Gege forget?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Last time because of Yu Xiaoqiu, he was willing to bargain with his life. 9pOgFD


    Even now that Yu Xiaoqiu had betrayed him, he was still able to let her go.


    Ling Xiao thought it was laughable.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    ¡°What a powerful speech spirit I am,¡± Chi Jiayan said. ¡°Moreover, Gege came, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯d die.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡± zgbsmI


    ¡°I¡¯m different from them. I¡¯m still young, and I don¡¯t want to harm people.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s tone of voice became downcast. ¡°Last time¡­it was you who stopped me. I¡¯m more powerful than them, and crushing them would be just as easy as crushing a few ants. But I couldn¡¯t do that, and if I wasn¡¯t careful, I could¡¯ve become really, really bad.¡±


    Ling Xiao was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about this. Speech spirit, explain what you meant when you said there was no way you¡¯d die if I was there.¡±


    This caused Chi Jiayan to think for a while. He asked, ¡°Gege, how many grim reapers are there in the world?¡±


    Ling Xiao stood still. HrzQBN


    It took him a good while before he answered, ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­can grim reapers travel through time?¡±


    Ling Xiao made a noise of affirmation.


    Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t dumb. He roughly understood. This Gege wasn¡¯t the same as the one from the past. Not having those memories therefore wasn¡¯t weird. JyLdmS


    But this Gege treated him just as well as the other one. He was still a bit confused, but he understood a little better.


    Chi Jiayan made an ¡°oh¡± before continuing his earlier point. ¡°Last time, you said you would take me away when I died. I had been locked away in the basement for so long and you didn¡¯t come, so there was no way I could¡¯ve died yet. Actually, I was pretty scared when I saw you. I thought you were there to take me away but¡­Gege, you came to save me.¡±


    Ling Xiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is it that even though it isn¡¯t the day I die yet, you still came before me?¡± Chi Jiayan asked. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that before someone dies, the grim reaper accompanies them.¡± lbf8EL


    ¡°There is no such thing,¡± Ling Xiao said.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s where I¡¯m different.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s tone of voice became lighter. ¡°It must be that the future me did something great, so God appointed you to accompany me before I died. It has to be.¡±


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t know the answer to this either.


    ¡°Which means I can¡¯t be a bad person even more,¡± said Chi Jiayan. ¡°I¡¯m not that saintly; I can be mean. I just feel like if I don¡¯t become a bad person, God will encourage me a little longer.¡± GVkaWO


    Ling Xiao paused, adjusting himself to have a better grip on his legs.


    Chi Jiayan had starved for a while, so even a figure as small as he was able to eat three big bowls of watery porridge.


    Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com


    He hadn¡¯t had the chance to take a bath before he fell asleep.


    The house had been tidied up quite a bit. It seemed that the owner spent a lot of time being mindful. 4fh0kl


    ¡°Gege, stay with me,¡± Chi Jiayan muttered drowsily. ¡°I¡¯m very obedient¡­and I¡¯ll obediently wait for you to take me away¡­¡±


    Ling Xiao¡¯s face was hidden by the shadows as he watched over this speech spirit.


    Ling Xiao stood by the bed for a while. He put on his mask and prepared to leave, but suddenly froze.


    Because that thousand year old, deathly white mask, at some point unknown to him, had cracked. 0PXAdQ


    That small crack was only as long as a finger, and it was only conspicuous under the light of the moon.


    This mask was of no use anymore.


    Ling Xiao tossed the mask aside without a care. He rested his hand in his pocket, only to feel a piece of candy and a slip of paper inside.


    That slip of paper had a smiley face drawn on it. POQa4c


    Ling Xiao knew it was best if he didn¡¯t come here again.

 CH 17

    yoantlers [Translator]11-14 minutes


    Severe pain crashed over the Grim Reaper in waves across his skull and brain.


    Because he had touched Chi Jiayan¡¯s fingertip, the memories of those five years where he had changed everything flooded his consciousness. WZ8I70


    There was too much information to digest and process.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s face had completely lost blood. Death was almost in reach, and fresh blood steadily flowed out of him.


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    Almost subconsciously, the Grim Reaper reached out and blocked Chi Jiayan¡¯s artery.


    He didn¡¯t want to let Chi Jiayan die. lZRenb


    Right now he was the Grim Reaper, but he was also Ling Xiao.


    No matter which one he was right now, he was still just a different time period of himself. They were two completely different ideologies, like each one was its own existence, like a head-to-head clash of forces was bursting in his brain.


    His surroundings started to warp and shift.


    The Grim Reaper was vaguely aware that across the street, there stood a figure in a black robe.


    aIzd0v


    It was his other self.


    In one timeline, there were two Ling Xiaos.


    That one said, ¡°This is a mistake. You shouldn¡¯t be making these kinds of low-level errors. Let go of your hand; one move, and everything will go back to the way it should be!¡±


    The other said, ¡°He shouldn¡¯t die. Unless you don¡¯t understand? No matter what happens in the future, he should be allowed to live out the rest of his life!¡± iKYNRE


    The two Ling Xiaos said at the same time, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you are the Grim Reaper!¡±


    ¡ªYou are the god of this world who rules over life, you are the one with the authority over life or death.


    You should let him die¡ªthat is your duty.


    You can also let him live¡ªas long as you want to. QmWPta


    Chi Jiayan was already completely unconscious.


    There was an excessive, gaudy amount of blood.


    He was eighteen years old this year. His skin was snowy white, and all five of his facial features were clearly splendid.


    If he died at this time, the Grim Reaper would basically have seen his entire life. Njdgi2


    The Grim Reaper had never seen the entirety of one person¡¯s life before.


    Because of the severe pain, the Grim Reaper knelt down. Cang Feng suddenly appeared in midair, its wolf howl resounding through the sky.


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    In just a few seconds, Chi Jiayan¡¯s soul would turn into a spirit bead and return to the natal chart.


    There was no time to delay any longer. Without a second thought, the Grim Reaper decided to return on the right track of things, but the other Ling Xiao instantly moved in front of him, cradling Chi Jiayan. vQA5ya


    Immediately afterwards, the world that seemed to have stood still was put on play again, becoming noisy.


    ¡°Help! Call the ambulance!¡± the person chasing the dog yelled.


    Ktf ogela rajii bkcfg gertfv lcab atf rabgf, abbx j abkfi, jcv mjwf bea ab tfiq qgfrr Jtl Aljsjc¡¯r kbecv. ¡°Lbiv la! Vabq atf yiffvlcu olgra!¡±


    Ktf kbgxfg ktb lcrajiifv atf uijrr kjr rb oglutafcfv atja tf mbeivc¡¯a rjs j kbgv. Vemt j ajii wjc tjv ab vlji atf fwfgufcms cewyfg rfnfgji alwfr yfobgf tf mbccfmafv. DIFAy7


    No one noticed the identical black-robed men at the scene.


    One of them said coldly, ¡°He won¡¯t die.¡±


    The other looked at the person in the other¡¯s arms and said nothing.


    Chi Jiayan was rescued in time. He had suffered great blood loss, but after the wound was sutured, he would be fine. fcPyUu


    The doctor said that he was in unusually good health, and he was young after all, so nothing would happen to him.


    All at once, there were two grim reapers in the hospital ward. Even in the summer, people shivered from the cold. A nurse thought that the air conditioner was broken, so she quickly turned it off. At the same time, she peered curiously at the two handsome men who were extremely indifferent. ¡°Are you two twins?¡±


    The Grim Reaper gave her a steely look.


    Ling Xiao nodded perfunctorily, and said nothing more. tLO pg


    The nurse blushed and walked away.


    The person on the hospital bed slept very peacefully, not at all seeming like he had just experienced a life-or-death situation. Even the corners of his lips were slightly raised, as if he was having a sweet dream.


    Chi Jiayand had a clever mind. During these few years, he had enough time to figure things out.


    That was why earlier, by the side of the road, Chi Jiayan asked to see the face of the Grim Reaper. bVkPZm


    His so-called resemblance to a friend actually referred to the Grim Reaper¡¯s other self.


    ¡°Why did you come?¡± the Grim Reaper asked without any emotion. He had already regained memories from his other self. He remembered that after rescuing Chi Jiayan in the basement, he never saw Chi Jiayan again.


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    Moreover, his past self didn¡¯t know about Chi Jiayan¡¯s third perfect death instance, nor did he know about the significance of this day. Could it be that his appearance was just a coincidence?


    ¡°Today is his eighteenth birthday. I just stopped by to see,¡± Ling Xiao replied in the same tone of voice. j8OErZ


    ¡°You¡¯re already this weak.¡± The Grim Reaper¡¯s gaze was as sharp as a blade. ¡°Not only did your mask crack, you also became sentimental.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to die.¡± Ling Xiao glared back in the same way.


    ¡°Humans will all die sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Then wait until he grows old!¡± dluOKD


    ¡°He won¡¯t live that long. He¡¯s destined to die early.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll protect him from dying.¡±


    ¡°Fate has never allowed such a precedent!¡±


    ¡°Then allow me this once!¡± Cob82h


    ¡°Do you want to return to our world or not?! Unless you want to stay the grim reaper forever?¡±


    ¡°You are me, so just say it! Do you want to?! Do you still want to be the grim reaper?¡±


    If there was someone who was listening without paying attention to what was going on, they would¡¯ve thought there was a crazy person talking to themselves.


    The both of them became silent. Ling Xiao sighed and said, ¡°Forget it. You are me, and I am you. How could I expect you to be more thorough than I am now.¡± QVkq47


    This line sounded rather familiar!


    It was back during Chi Jiayan¡¯s second death instance¡ªthe conversation between the Grim Reaper and his future self in Chi Jiayan¡¯s house when he was thirteen.


    Everything was like a ring, an endless loop.


    Before the Grim Reaper could speak, Ling Xiao continued, ¡°What happened in the future? What¡¯s so special about him? Why do you keep coming back again and again?¡± F8vQYH


    The Grim Reaper thought for a while, then shook his head helplessly. ¡°Since I seem to be incorrigible, I can¡¯t tell you the future.¡±


    As they talked, Chi Jiayan opened his eyes.


    Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.


    ¡°Gege?¡± His gaze slowly focused, but no matter how he looked at it, there were two Ling Xiaos in front of him.


    The two Ling Xiaos looked back at him at the same time. uL5 NI


    ¡°Did I die?¡± Chi Jiayan closed his eyes again. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡±


    Ling Xiao took a step forward, reaching out, and stroked his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re not dreaming. If there¡¯s anything you want to say, wait until you recover. Rest now.¡±


    ¡°How is this not a dream?¡± Chi Jiayan was still very weak, his voice mumbled. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to find you at all these past five years. And now suddenly after not appearing, there¡¯s two of you. There¡¯s no way God would be this generous to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Speech spirit. Shut up.¡± Ling Xiao was still the same stern on the outside but soft on the inside, never properly calling him by his name. M 4eCK


    Chi Jiayan smiled slightly, his dimples showing.


    His pale and weak appearance was actually extremely eye-catching and unfathomably lovable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to sleep. If I fall asleep, I won¡¯t know what to do if you leave. There¡¯s already been two times where you¡¯ve left while I was sleeping.¡±


    Ling Xiao frowned. ¡°Twice when?¡± WBadEy


    He only remembered when he rescued him from the basement, and that was just once.


    The Grim Reaper knew it was twice.


    There was another time when his future self had knocked him out.


    ¡°¡­Sleep.¡± The Grim Reaper stood at a distance, not coming closer. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll take you away.¡± Qk2aAs


    Right now, all he felt was a huge headache.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Chi Jiayan agreed, rubbing against the pillow like a cat. Only a section of his black hair was exposed outside of the quilt.


    The two selves stood in the room, as if they were looking at a mirror. It wasn¡¯t the first time the Grim Reaper had experienced this. eP7EcG


    The good thing was that they weren¡¯t so mutually hostile this time, and there was nobody for either side to snatch, but it still felt a little strange.


    Cang Feng was a little happy.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    The two had transformed into wolf pups¡ªor else the hospital ward wouldn¡¯t be able to fit them¡ªand they had a great time playing with their other self.


    Cang Feng was a spirit beast, but it was different from the calm and independent Grim Reaper. It also needed to play with its own kind to release excess energy. nYVTyH


    In the past, if the Grim Reaper wasn¡¯t working, he would wander around the world. He would occasionally drink a few glasses of wine and go sightseeing. It was a pity he loved cleanliness so much, hated filthy human beings, never made friends, and had always been a loner. Cang Feng would always turn into a wolf pup to interact with many wolves, dogs, foxes, and other canines, but it wouldn¡¯t understand its own seriousness, often scaring them away.


    In the end, spirit beasts were better off playing with spirit beasts.


    Expressionlessly watching the two Cang Fengs childishly chasing and biting each other¡¯s tails and paws, the Grim Reaper tried to open the natal chart from within his divine consciousness.


    Since he had made a mistake, he had to see what he needed to do next. 1lW60j


    The weird thing was, there was no order from the natal chart, and his consciousness couldn¡¯t reach anything.


    It couldn¡¯t be¡­that it crashed or something.


    ¡°Can you still connect to the natal chart?¡± the Grim Reaper asked.


    Ling Xiao also searched his consciousness. After a while, he shook his head solemnly. ¡°No.¡± A7Pq5z


    The natal chart seemed to have disappeared.


    The Grim Reaper raised his wrist. Fortunately, the watch that he used to jump through time and space was still turning, which meant that everything was as usual.


    He didn¡¯t think about it anymore.


    After all, the natal chart had crashed several times before. XVvE4Y


    The complications between these two worlds were beyond imagination, and the heavy workload was sometimes too much to bear for this number one artifact from the higher dimension.


    ¡°How could this happen?¡± Ling Xiao thought aloud.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Right now we can only wait and see,¡± the Grim Reaper also absently replied. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t stopped me from my work, it wouldn¡¯t have been like this.¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t hesitated, if you hadn¡¯t wanted to save him, I wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to stop you,¡± said Ling Xiao. ¡°It was you who gave me this chance.¡± RLxmSb


    The Grim Reaper couldn¡¯t refute.


    Not only did they look the same, their pattern of thought was also the same, and their speech was as logical as the dialogue in their heads.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    Strictly speaking, it was impossible to find two identical patterns of leaves in the world.


    Therefore, it was a paradox for there to be two Ling Xiaos that coexisted at the same time. TUg4rZ


    The Grim Reaper knew that he couldn¡¯t stay for long, otherwise, he would merge with himself from this time and space, and never be able to return to the future.


    But there was no order from the natal chart, so it was as he had said; right now, he could only wait and see.

 CH 18

    yoantlers [Translator]12-15 minutes


    That afternoon, the worker who had broken the glass during the accident came to the hospital.


    Facing Chi Jiayan¡¯s two ¡°twin¡± brothers, the other party kept bowing apologetically and saying sorry. Ne luf


    Chi Jiayan was more or less awake, but still very weak, leaning against the pillow. ¡°Uncle, you don¡¯t need to apologize anymore.¡±


    The worker was an honest person, and after hearing those words, he kept apologizing. ¡°No, no, no, it was my fault. Something terrible almost happened. I really don¡¯t know what else I can do to make it up to you.¡±


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    Ch Jiayan said, ¡°There¡¯s really no need to keep apologizing. It¡¯s fine if you just pay money.¡±


    The worker nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, the medical expenses should be paid by me.¡± ZbHtyj


    Chi Jiayan smiled lightly. It looked like he didn¡¯t think it was a big deal.


    But what he said next was completely the opposite.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t understand what I meant,¡± said Chi Jiayan. ¡°Of course the medical expenses should be paid by you, but the loss I suffered wasn¡¯t small.¡±


    The worker was stunned. ¡°That¡­what do you mean?¡±


    1Pw08D


    ¡°I suffered a lot of injuries and almost died. You should also compensate for my loss of time and mental state.¡± Chi Jiayan spoke in a brisk tone. ¡°This was originally your mistake. If I really had died, you might not have had to pay the expenses. After all, I have no relatives. But on the contrary, I didn¡¯t die. I¡¯ve been seriously injured, so who will take care of me? This isn¡¯t just a small fee no matter how you look at it.¡±


    The Grim Reaper frowned.


    Ling Xiao glanced over with calm eyes.


    The worker said, ¡°Aren¡¯t¡­aren¡¯t these two your older brothers?¡± f9dGCU


    As if he didn¡¯t sense the gazes of the two men in black, Chi Jiayan said calmly, ¡°I should refer to them as my older brothers, but we don¡¯t have any blood relation. They¡¯re also not responsible for me, so they might leave at any point¡ªsometimes disappearing for years at a time. I¡¯m an orphan, and living is very, very hard.¡±


    There was silence in the room for a while. The honest worker didn¡¯t realize that this young man with a simple and sweet face would be so difficult to trifle with.


    Eventually, he asked how much money he had to pay.


    Chi Jiayan said he wanted a thousand dollars. JMI10Z


    The worker couldn¡¯t afford that, so he tried to intercede. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really don¡¯t have that much money. My son is still young this year. He has uremia and often needs dialysis. The medical expenses are very high. The family is really¡­can you¡­make it less?¡±


    Chi Jiayan smiled politely. ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡±


    The worker choked.


    After a long while, he nodded, his facial expression one of complete annoyance. n6SK3B


    A thousand dollars seemed like a lot to give out, especially for a struggling family, but it was also an amount where if he tried enough, he would be able to scrounge up the money.


    The Grim Reaper felt that Chi Jiayan should understand this better than anyone else.


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    Ling Xiao was also surprised by this change. ¡°Speech spirit¡ª¡±


    Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Chi Jiayan interrupted him. ¡°Gege, I want to drink milk.¡± Mahwso


    Pc atlr ilutalcu, atf ybs¡¯r qjif ojmf jiwbra ibbxfv agjcriemfca. Rba fnfc tlr ilqr tjv jcs mbibg bo yibbv.


    Llr fsfr kfgf vjgx jcv rtlcs, jr lo atfs mbcajlcfv jii atf ubbvklii lc atf kbgiv.


    Lf fzevfv j klmxfv rbga bo rkffacfrr.


    ¡°Yogurt, like the ones in the bottle.¡± Chi Jiayan gestured. ¡°Gege, buy it for me. Um¡­which Gege should go? I¡¯m already having a hard time differentiating you two.¡± LCn0oG


    Olcu Wljb kbgvifrris ifoa.


    Ktf Xglw Efjqfg kjixfv bnfg, fzafcvlcu j mbiv tjcv jcv ragbxlcu Jtl Aljsjc¡¯r ojmf. ¡°P atbeuta sbe kbeiv ulnf eq bc atf mbwqfcrjalbc jcv tfiq tlw. Dea atlr rffwr wbgf ilxf ktja sbe rtbeiv vb. Tbe¡¯nf mtjcufv j iba.¡±


    Chi Jiayan narrowed his eyes like a cat being petted.


    ¡°I grew up.¡± K4FrcV


    After three days of hospitalization, Chi Jiayan was discharged.


    He seemed to be in a pretty good mood. After leaving, he immediately went to deposit the 10,000 yuan compensation at the bank.


    Seeing the balance in his account, he smiled and said, ¡°Ah, I never knew when I would die before, so I never really wanted to save money. Now seems like the time to start.¡±


    Ling Xiao still had a lot of things to deal with in this timeline that belonged to him, so only the Grim Reaper accompanied Chi Jiayan now. CF8TWB


    The Grim Reaper managed to contact Lu Cheng. He said that there seemed to be a major malfunction in the natal chart, and they couldn¡¯t connect to it.


    Concurrently, Lu Cheng also caught the Grim Reaper up to speed with information about what Chi Jiayan had changed in the last five years.


    The altered timeline was completely different from the original.


    At first, Chi Jiayan tried his best to go to various large-scale, unnatural death scenes to find traces of Ling Xiao. 7rSE1z


    But Ling Xiao had made up his mind not to visit him anymore, so he naturally had no luck.


    Because of Chi Rui¡¯s loss from betting on sports and Chi Jiayan¡¯s near-death experience, his uncle¡¯s family cut contact with him, so Chi Jiayan¡¯s life was even more difficult than before.


    Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com


    This speech spirit was like a cockroach that wouldn¡¯t die. His tenacious vitality was really something. He started to accept some small requests as a business. At first, it was helping students with exams, then a teacher¡¯s promotion, then slowly to the circle of parents among his peers. On the bright side, he was becoming stronger, but on the other, he became gloomier and more frightening.


    He never made any friends. No matter if the other party was sincere or not, he always rejected them without discrimination. rs0aA3


    Gradually, rumors about Chi Jiayan spread everywhere, and he became the object of everyone¡¯s fear. Some people said that he was a monster who killed his whole family, and some said that he was a devil who lived off the desires of others. In short, within this dark circle of Chunnan City, Chi Jiayan had become a strange existence.


    He dropped out half a year ago.


    After that, Chi Jiayan set up a small forum dedicated to taking orders.


    He dared to answer anything and everything. There was nothing he couldn¡¯t do, so he became infamous. O9Cfxr


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s house wasn¡¯t the dilapidated apartment in the Qingshui neighborhood anymore, but a small courtyard house adjacent to the urban area.


    Its retro Chinese style was accompanied by a vestibule, atrium, and a backyard. Although the space was rather small, one could tell it was rather luxurious.


    ¡°When did you move?¡± asked the Grim Reaper.


    ¡°Almost two years ago. But I really only signed the paperwork since I had to wait until I was fully an adult to settle the formalities. I¡¯ve been wasting time these days; the first thing I should¡¯ve done was finalize the ownership.¡± Chi Jiayan opened the lock with his fingerprint. He turned his head back to say, ¡°It¡¯s hard for minors to do anything.¡± 6qtGjc


    The sky was overcast and the wind was blowing hard. It looked like it was going to rain.


    The yard was full of flowers and plants, but it was a pity that there were fallen leaves all over the ground, resulting in a depressing scene.


    The Grim Reaper was reminded of the pea green wall that Chi Jiayan had half-finished in his old house.


    ¡°What about the old place?¡± he asked. kCdJSP


    Chi Jiayan said, ¡°I sold it, of course. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get this one otherwise.¡±


    Based on the Grim Reaper¡¯s understanding of how this world worked, he didn¡¯t believe that Chi Jiayan could afford this kind of courtyard house just by selling his previous house.


    But he didn¡¯t say anything, following Chi Jiayan into the house.


    The living room had an entire wall of oversized floor-to-ceiling glass, which gave the courtyard a modern feel. There was also a wide patio at the junction between the living room and the dining room. The patio was also sealed with glass, with only a tree planted in the middle. 5WmLGs


    Surprisingly, there was a middle-aged woman in an apron and a pair of pearl earrings in the house, her eyes kind.


    The aroma of food being cooked could be smelled.


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    ¡°You can leave,¡± Chi Jiayan told her.


    The woman had a dull look to her face, as if she was being controlled by something. ¡°Jiajia, then I¡¯ll be leaving. Remember to eat. It¡¯s going to rain soon, so be careful not to catch a cold.¡± krYZ50


    Chi Jiayan blushed, not daring to look at the Grim Reaper¡¯s expression.


    He hastily waved his hands and said, ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to say this next time.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the woman replied.


    It was probably the power of his control that made her come to work, and also made her care about him like an elder would. This made the speech spirit in question who was so proud of being a grown adult a little embarrassed now. JQWo4O


    The woman took off her apron. She walked to the entrance and took some money there as if she had done so a hundred times before, then left in a daze.


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t speak.


    He knew that the woman would probably forget what she had done and who she had seen after she was gone.


    Through this method, the speech spirit could avoid emotionally connecting with other people, therefore not bringing disaster to others. However, that woman didn¡¯t look like someone who needed money, and Chi Jiayan¡¯s actions were probably forced upon her rather than placed voluntarily. fFRCog


    ¡°She was my primary school teacher, now retired.¡± Chi Jiayan added, ¡°She does work, I pay her for it. There¡¯s nothing wrong.¡±


    This kind of scene reminded the Grim Reaper of the twenty-seven year-old Chi Jiayan from the future.


    Things were already starting to go in a sinister direction.


    ¡°Hm,¡± the Grim Reaper said coldly. t7qrdh


    ¡°Gege, are you hungry? Do you want to eat first?¡± Chi Jiayan easily changed the subject. ¡°I was pretty filthy after staying in the hospital for a few days, so I¡¯m going to shower first.¡±


    ¡°The wound,¡± the Grim Reaper reminded him. ¡°The doctor said not to get it wet.¡±


    Since he wasn¡¯t supposed to die yet, there was no reason for him to suffer the pain of an infection.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Chi Jiayan. ¡°I have waterproof bandages!¡± Zolg J


    Saying that, he entered the bedroom at the end of the corridor alone. He turned his head around again to confirm, ¡°Gege, you won¡¯t leave, will you?¡±


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°No.¡±


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    At least, not until the natal chart was back in contact.


    Chi Jiayan smiled and left. 68mtcg


    In the spacious living room, the Grim Reaper was left alone.


    The wind outside the window was getting stronger and stronger. The fallen leaves were being blown and swirled in mid-air, and the trees were shaking left and right.


    The sky darkened like a falling curtain.


    Within the silence, the Grim Reaper heard faint breathing, like the sound of a small animal dying. JteENz


    He took two steps and found a cat climbing on a cat tree in a nook of the living room, cat litter spread on the bottommost level.


    The old Xiao Hei raised its eyelids and looked at him, this strange yet familiar guest.


    One god and one cat stared at each other for a moment. Xiao Hei let out a very weak ¡°meow¡±.


    It should have died long ago, but its soul was trapped in its body, unable to break free. HJOSbv


    Finally, there was thunder.


    Lightning flashed in the sky, and the lights in the entire courtyard house were instantly extinguished.


    ¡°Gege.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s voice sounded from the entrance of the corridor. ¡°Why did the power suddenly go out?¡±


    The Grim Reaper turned his head. He saw a slender, pale, and naked figure leaning against the wall of the living room. NAYB6s


    Lightning pierced the sky at this moment, and that moment was as bright as day, illuminating those clear and innocent eyes.


    ¡°Can you help me see if the waterproof sticker was applied properly? I think the wound might¡¯ve gotten wet,¡± Chi Jiayan said calmly.


    9mgEjQ


    boi if you don¡¯t put on some clothes I¨C

 CH 19

    yoantlers [Translator]9-12 minutes


    In the dark living room, that pale body was dazzling.


    Who knows if it was because of the sudden power outage that he couldn¡¯t find his bath towel. As a man, Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t feel ashamed to show his body to another man. P2G793


    He had spoken that one sentence boldly, but then he had nothing else to say.


    The Grim Reaper took off his black robe to wrap around him. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.


    The black robe had an indescribable texture. It was cold and smooth like fine silk, but very heavy and weighted.


    Chi Jiayan remembered that he had washed such a thing with his own hands when he was younger. 34PXOp


    It didn¡¯t get wet at first, and then it also couldn¡¯t be wrung out, so it was very laborious.


    Being wrapped in such a piece of clothing wasn¡¯t warm. At most, it could simply cover one¡¯s body.


    But when Chi Jiayan approached, the Grim Reaper could feel the heat emanating from him.


    Chi Jiayan was calm on the surface, but his face was like a secretly steaming bun on the inside. He was burning hot, but quietly in the dark.


    nNBGVK


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t realize that this kind of act was one called ¡°seduction¡±.


    He only felt a fiber of peculiarity in his heart.


    The two sat on the wide and plush couch. The Grim Reaper summoned a ball of fire in his palm, lighting up the entire living room.


    At the same time, Chi Jiayan¡¯s pair of dark, round eyes were also illuminated. kAmBLh


    ¡°Lower your head. Let me see,¡± said the Grim Reaper.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Chi Jiayan bit his bottom lip. When their gazes collided, Chi Jiayan instantly looked somewhere else, like he was annoyed at something.


    The wound on his neck was stitched together well, and it wasn¡¯t deep, so no water got in.


    The Grim Reaper took off the waterproof bandage, then went to get gauze to properly rewrap the wound again. uREstN


    His icy fingertips brushed against warm skin. Chi Jiayan couldn¡¯t help shivering, his ears quickly turning scarlet. ¡°So cold.¡±


    The Grim Reaper receded his cold aura by a little. ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Gege.¡± Chi Jiayan suddenly asked, ¡°Have you ever been in a romantic relationship?¡±


    The Grim Reaper stared at him blankly. ¡°Probably not.¡± FbdpNK


    ¡°Qtja vb sbe wfjc¡­qgbyjyis?¡± Jtl Aljsjc aegcfv tlr tfjv ab ibbx ja tlw. ¡°Cgf sbe cba regf?¡±


    Ktf Xglw Efjqfg tjv ilnfv obg abb ibcu. Ktlcur atja tjqqfcfv afcr bo atberjcvr bo sfjgr jub kfgf jigfjvs ibcu obgubaafc ys tlw, yea tf mbeiv ja ifjra gfmjii atlcur atja tjv tjqqfcfv klatlc atf ijra tecvgfv sfjgr bg rb. ¡°Ktja lr ab rjs, P tjnfc¡¯a. Qts?¡±


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    ¡°I also haven¡¯t,¡± said Chi Jiayan softly. ¡°Actually, when I was faced with death, I had no regrets except this one.¡±


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­You¡¯re still young.¡± T9IJfY


    ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡± Chi Jiayan exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m already an adult! If it wasn¡¯t because I was a speech spirit, I also would¡¯ve¡ª¡±


    His words broke off abruptly.


    If it wasn¡¯t because he would naturally bring disaster to those he was close to as a speech spirit, he would have already experienced the naive and young flavor of a first love.


    But he knew that was impossible. oS7glU


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about what being in love feels like.¡± Chi Jiayan restarted his words. ¡°What it¡¯s like to kiss, what it¡¯s like to¡­do that.¡±


    When sitting, the Grim Reaper was still taller than Chi Jiayan.


    He looked down at Chi Jiayan, not a single disturbance in his heart.


    He didn¡¯t quite understand why humans longed for these heart-throbbing moments, nor did he understand why humans felt that kind of primitive attraction. uUVeJ0


    In the old days, the Grim Reaper always thought that human beings¡¯ sexual desire was solely for reproduction. Later, he thought that it was the thing called ¡°love¡± between men and women that caused trouble. In modern times, society was open, and many human beings with different attributes gradually became more well-known, so the Grim Reaper learned that this kind of affection could also occur between the same sex.


    So in terms of responding to these curiosities, the Grim Reaper really didn¡¯t have an answer.


    He only knew that love made people weak, made them powerless, made them go crazy and lose sight of themselves.


    In short, it wasn¡¯t a good thing. pja1x8


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­I¡¯m not curious, and I have no interest.¡±


    Chi Jiayan smiled, his dimples appearing. ¡°For me, there is someone I like. I¡¯ve liked that person for many, many years, so of course I¡¯m curious, and I would have regrets. I know why you¡¯re not interested. You probably haven¡¯t met someone you like yet. Gege, you have no desires and no demands, right?¡±


    The image of a bone white mask with a crack in it appeared in the Grim Reaper¡¯s mind.


    His eyes turned cold, and he stopped talking about this topic. ¡°You should eat first. Do you have any candles?¡± daJoEy


    Noticing his disinterest, Chi Jiayan responded after a moment. ¡°Yeah. Gege, wait just a moment.¡±


    The Grim Reaper stared at the curtain of rain falling outside the window as he fell asleep that night. He hadn¡¯t been so relaxed in a while.


    Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.


    Things on this timeline would naturally be handled by his other self, and the loss of contact with the natal chart seemed to give him a chance to breathe amidst his never-ending footsteps. He didn¡¯t have to worry about anything in this timeline for now, so it was as if he was on vacation.


    The weird part was, he actually had a dream that night. qTKLRj


    The Grim Reaper dreamt of when he was little.


    Fate caressed his face, saying affectionately to him, ¡°Ling Xiao, you are the chosen one, destined to extradite the souls of the dead from another world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± the little Grim Reaper said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Fate bent down, the train of their white robe covering the entire staircase, blending in with the snow covering everywhere. 6ZH5On


    The sacred artifacts and new gods lined up in a long line, everyone dressed in divine attire.


    The Dream God wore multicolored robes, the Love God wore pastel robes, and the Fertility God wore a garment woven from green leaves.


    Only he was the one in a black robe, looking out of tune with everyone else.


    ¡°As long as you have no desires and no demands, are without happiness and without sadness, you will not be afraid.¡± Fate placed a white mask in his hands. ¡°You are protected by this solid mask and black robe. All evil spirits will not enter your body, and nothing can harm you.¡± jPKqOv


    The Grim Reaper took the mask. From out of nowhere came a black wolf cub, circling around him.


    ¡°Can I still come back?¡± he asked, looking up.


    The expression on Fate¡¯s face was merciful. ¡°Until the two worlds have reached balance, you cannot.¡±


    ¡°Then how long will I have to wait?¡± he pressed. UpNdFS


    ¡°If you have no distractions, that day will come quickly,¡± said Fate. ¡°You will definitely be able to come back.¡±


    The Grim Reaper was awoken by a noise outside his window.


    Cang Feng had gotten out at some point. In his wolf cub form, he paced back and forth anxiously in front of the glass door.


    Seeing that the Grim Reaper had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, it whimpered softly like a baby. 1bIKxD


    The Grim Reaper thought it was Xiao Hei who had agitated Cang Feng again.


    But as soon as he glanced out the window, his face darkened.


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    The sky was bright and the rain had stopped long ago, leaving only a mess of fallen leaves and scattered flowers and plants all over the yard.


    Some random ghosts had come from nowhere, cleaning while trembling. 1lSiE2


    The Grim Reaper followed Cang Feng through the glass. All the ghosts dropped their tools and brooms and fell to their knees.


    ¡°My lord, spare us!¡± they yelled, shaking more and more one by one.


    One of the ghosts was an old man who probably died in his sixties, wearing a Chinese tunic suit. It looked a bit Daoist, but he was still in the midst.


    Cang Feng became bigger, and he opened his mouth to catch a ghost, swallowing iit whole. HN9ts6


    The rest of the ghost screamed in fright.


    The Grim Reaper hadn¡¯t truly slept in many years, so when he woke up, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little annoyed, looking even more daunting. ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    The old man¡¯s voice shook. ¡°No, my lord, it¡¯s the speech spirit¡¯s words that are forcing us.¡±


    The other ghosts repeatedly echoed, ¡°Yes, yes, please have mercy on us my lord!¡± A2aI k


    In a flash, Cang Feng swallowed another one.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± the Grim Reaper asked coldly.


    ¡°You have no idea, that speech spirit is terrifying.¡± The ghosts chattered in a mess. ¡°He walks around the streets and casually uses his words, forcing many ghosts to come back and do things for him. The swimming pool behind the house was built by us. The sweeping and cleaning barely scratches the surface; we also have to do his laundry!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s even worse is that we have to be available at any time. He realized we¡¯re scared of him, but he still forces us to chit-chat with him!¡± SOvNh7


    ¡°One sentence can last a whole day; I died of thirst in my last life!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes; besides forcing us to work, he makes us talk and chat with him.¡±


    ¡°Anyone who doesn¡¯t listen to him will be scared out of their wits!¡±


    ¡°Last time I tried to sneak away, the speech spirit made me fall to the ground, and all my teeth fell out!¡± 1wbyTY


    While they jabbered, the sound of Chi Jiayan approached. ¡°Gege, come here quickly, I have something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°All of you, scram,¡± said the Grim Reaper.


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    He walked over to see Chi Jiayan holding up a painting.


    ¡°Gege, did I draw this when I was a child?¡± Chi Jiayan asked, blushing. ¡°Why was it in that black robe of yours?¡± 03L85D

 CH 20

    yoantlers [Translator]11-14 minutes


    That painting was from when Chi Jiayan was thirteen years old. The Grim Reaper had taken it from his bedside, putting it inside his robes.


    The painting depicted a wolf and a masked man in childish strokes¡ªit was the scene of the Grim Reaper riding the spirit beast Cang Feng, soaring above the sky. po4 yQ


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes were shining, but the Grim Reaper¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°Mm. I took it in the past.¡±


    ¡°No wonder I never found it!¡± Chi Jiayan hissed excitedly, full of emotion. He immediately broke into a grin. ¡°It turned out Gege had it all along! I can make another if Gege likes my drawings so much. I draw a lot better now than before.¡±


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    The Grim Reaper said, ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°This one¡¯s too ugly.¡± Chi Jiayan looked up at the Grim Reaper. ¡°I have to draw it again.¡± UHxNXm


    Behind the glass wall of the living room appeared another figure in an all-black robe. It was Ling Xiao.


    The two Ling Xiaos looked at each other from afar, neither one wearing a shred of emotion.


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t notice the Grim Reaper¡¯s cold expression, neglectful of even Cang Feng in the yard who was chasing the ghosts all around like a flock of headless chickens. At this point in time, he was no longer that naive boy who was startled when the college entrance exam ghost on the staircase was swallowed up.


    He noticed the Grim Reaper noticing Ling Xiao. Chi Jiayan scratched his ear. ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell you, the other Gege just got here. I thought he was you, and I even asked if he slept well.¡±


    RyHC93


    ¡°He is indeed me.¡± The Grim Reaper strode back into the living room. ¡°Your words are contradictory.¡±


    Ling Xiao hadn¡¯t rested the entire night. The cold aura around him had yet to recede.


    But he had also shed his outer robe, wearing just his inner clothes like the Grim Reaper.


    The Grim Reaper remembered that at this time period, he had dealt with a fatal accident where a high-speed train derailed, causing a mass of deaths. The scene was very tragic, and his outer robe had become stained with blood. At that time, he had taken off his robe and thrown it away on the spot. 17S2 F


    In the face of death, he was always indifferent, but he still hated blood.


    It seemed like this also held true for Ling Xiao. At least, this factor hadn¡¯t changed in this timeline.


    Seeing the two walk inside together, Ling Xiao gave the Grim Reaper a subtle look.


    He couldn¡¯t be blamed for letting his imagination run wild. yuaPMG


    When he got here, he happened to see Chi Jiayan only wearing that outer robe. There weren¡¯t even pajama pants on his lower body, only a pair of short underwear, showing off his straight and slender legs. Moreover, the other party blushed when he saw him, asking if he had slept well.


    He thought that Chi Jiayan had mistaken him for someone else.


    Chi Jiayan, seemingly in a good mood, went upstairs, probably to look for painting supplies.


    Ling Xiao spoke first. ¡°Did you two¡­¡± SLfalU


    The Grim Reaper said, ¡°We didn¡¯t.¡±


    Ling Xiao nodded.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    He hadn¡¯t spoken yet when the Grim Reaper added, ¡°Even if we were to, it would have been you to do something like that.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± asked Ling Xiao. clIgj


    ¡°Your willpower is no longer firm, allowing desire to fill the emptiness, giving you a reason to become weak.¡± The Grim Reaper spoke coldly, as if he was extremely disappointed with the version of himself from this timeline. ¡°But I haven¡¯t.¡±


    Olcu Wljb rcffgfv, ¡°Ktfc kts jgf sbe ralii agjqqfv tfgf?¡±


    Jtl Aljsjc tjv gec yjmx vbkc atf rajlgr, j Ubijgblv lc tjcv. Lf kjr ajxfc jyjmx ktfc tf rjk atf akb bo atfw, ecjyif ab vloofgfcaljaf atfw jqjga.


    ¡°Gege?¡± DWGerI


    Ktf akb Olcu Wljbr ybat aegcfv atflg tfjvr.


    Ktfs ybat tjv tjcvrbwf jcv rtjgq ojmlji ofjaegfr, jc lcvloofgfca fzqgfrrlbc, jcv j mbiv jegj jii bnfg atflg ybvlfr.


    The spacious living room had become somewhat cramped due to the presence of the two grim reapers.


    Chi Jiayan blushed. ¡°Let¡¯s take a picture together.¡± z4GUgx


    ¡°No,¡± both of them replied at once.


    ¡°Don¡¯t refuse just yet¡­¡± Chi Jiayan frantically said. ¡°I originally wanted to paint, but I realized that I couldn¡¯t paint myself the same way. I want to take a group photo with you. If you both leave again in the future, I¡¯ll at least be able to see you.¡±


    The two: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Also, I¡¯ve never taken a picture with anyone before!¡± Chi Jiayan added. ulKrq3


    He looked pitiful, putting on a small voice to say, ¡°I¡­I¡¯ve never had friends before, you know? Nobody to talk to, nobody to share my life with. Even such a thing as taking pictures, I¡¯ve never been able to experience. It¡¯s only this much, so can¡¯t I?¡±


    In the end, they took a picture together.


    Besides Chi Jiayan who was grinning satisfactorily, the other two figures had sour faces.


    Despite living for thousands of years, they had never left an imprint of themselves on this world. The Grim Reaper looked at himself in the photo, feeling a little strange. QgpCh0


    He never spent much time in front of the mirror. Though he knew what he roughly looked like, he never thought about it much.


    Looking up, he saw that Ling Xiao shared the same sentiment, his facial expression heavy.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    ¡°Oh no¡­I can¡¯t tell you two apart anymore.¡± Chi Jiayan held the photo up to both of them. ¡°Which Gege is from the future, and which Gege is from this timeline?¡±


    Ling Xiao took the photo and said, ¡°No need to differentiate us. We¡¯ll become one sooner or later.¡± MnNo9s


    ¡°Why?¡± Chi Jiayan was puzzled.


    The Grim Reaper spoke up, looking at Ling Xiao.


    He picked up right where he left off.


    ¡°I¡¯m just stuck here temporarily,¡± the Grim Reaper said. ¡°If the future doesn¡¯t change, he will become an afterimage of this timeline, and disappear naturally. If the future does change, then I will cease to exist. So, sooner or later, there will only be one left, but either one will still be the real me.¡± ezPrZN


    Saying this, the two raised their hands at the same time.


    The moment their fingers touched each other, an invisible vortex formed in midair, and their fingers began to gradually merge.


    A mysterious force was trying to combine them.


    It was a pity that they didn¡¯t have such plans to do so yet. lcGHNX


    So both of them withdrew their hands and fell silent.


    A wolf howled nearby. It turned out that Cang Feng, in wolf cub form, had run inside contentedly, shaking its head.


    Chi Jiayan set the photo down to scoop it up. ¡°Cang Feng! Your belly is so round!¡±


    Cang Feng was so happy that it licked his face. 89VNOc


    The Grim Reaper had an ugly expression, ruthlessly grabbing Cang Feng back. ¡°You ate too much.¡±


    Chi Jiayan froze for a moment, realizing why Cang Feng¡¯s belly was so round. He looked out the window, where all that was left was piles of fallen leaves and brooms and dustpans scattered on the ground.


    Ling Xiao wanted to speak, but he heard Chi Jiayan whisper, ¡°Too bad.¡±


    He saw the young man turn his head back, and there was no trace of pity in his eyes. bPlQcU


    There was a smile on his lips like a poisonous rose.


    ¡°How annoying. They¡¯re all dead, and now there¡¯s nobody to sweep the floor.¡±


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    The natal chart was still offline.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t tell anyone that there were two versions of himself in this timeline, but he contacted Lu Cheng to tell him to go back to their world and figure out what was happening. As the Grim Reaper, he had been deprived the right to return to the higher dimension, making the lower dimension his home. dNMxrq


    But Lu Cheng was different; he was still just an auxiliary god, so he could come and go freely. It would be faster for him to see what was going on with the natal chart.


    During the period of waiting time, the Grim Reaper lived in Chi Jiayan¡¯s house.


    He felt that he couldn¡¯t stay in the same room with this human for too long, so he often donned his mask and went out alone.


    Sometimes when he came back, he would see the boy sitting in the courtyard for a long time, looking at the sky without blinking. e1tTX5


    Chi Jiayan had really changed a lot.


    The ghosts were all eaten up by Cang Feng, so naturally, he had to find a new batch.


    The primary school teacher who was controlled by him still often came by to cook for him at his house.


    The teacher would talk to him with an expressionless but gentle voice, sometimes stroking his head like an elder would. sc9aCM


    One day, without knowing why, the teacher suddenly recovered a bit of her sanity, her expression suddenly becoming very frightened.


    Chi Jiayan just threw her a cold look before letting her go.


    After that, he sat at the dining table with a downcast face. He then went to the corner to look at Xiao Hei, who was dying. He stretched out a hand to stroke his fur, looking like he had a lot to say. Xiao Hei was too old and sick, but his soul was forced to stay by the speech spirit¡¯s power. He couldn¡¯t even take care of himself anymore, so how was he to provide company?


    In the end, Chi Jiayan said nothing. 6Nyl9D


    It wasn¡¯t until the Grim Reaper came back that he smiled again.


    Everything was developing towards that same twenty-seven year-old trajectory.


    Finally, one morning, the arrival of a visitor broke the temporary peace.


    It was a businessman who found his way here from an online forum. He brought an assistant who drove a luxury car to discuss business. Yb15Ny


    The businessman was a local tyrant. He was prepared to brag about his wealth and fortune, but when he saw the person who opened the door, he didn¡¯t know why his entire back shivered, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling an instinctual fear.


    Because the person who opened the door was Ling Xiao.


    Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.


    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    The local tyrant felt like just being looked at by this extremely tall man made him shorter, coupled with the natural aura of a powerful person around him. He stammered, ¡°I¡ªI¡ªI¡¯m looking for Mr. Chi.¡± mVrYwM


    Ling Xiao stepped aside. Instead of showing him the way, he simply furrowed his eyebrows.


    The local tyrant and his assistant hurried in together. The deeper they went into the courtyard, the weirder they felt.


    It was obviously a very ordinary yard, but it was eerily quiet. It would make people¡¯s scalp numb even in the summer.


    Even the plants and the trees in the yard looked very mysterious. iTnoQf


    They walked into the living room to see the tall man sitting on the sofa stroking a wolf cup with one hand. Their legs went limp.


    Was¡­wasn¡¯t this the man who had just opened the door?


    How did he get to the living room so quickly?!


    Fortunately, Chi Jiayan came out of the kitchen. He was still wearing an apron, two dimples looming on the corners of his lips. ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Zeng, right? I saw that your appointment was today.¡± 2A6wCe


    The friendliness of this young man made the local tyrant able to breathe a little. He no longer felt like he was in some strange, spiritual world.


    But he turned towards the man on the sofa with a greasy smile. ¡°This¡­is Mr. Chi, I presume?¡±


    Ling Xiao walked in, one hand in his pants pocket, his expression indifferent.


    There were two identical people in the room. aKTJHw


    The local tyrant wiped off the cold sweat from his fright just earlier, heaving a sigh of relief.


    He hesitated. ¡°Uh¡­Or is this Mr. Chi? I didn¡¯t expect you to be twins. Please forgive my ignorance.¡±


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t speak.


    The Grim Reaper said, ¡°We¡¯re not.¡± HWcd24


    The wolf cup on the sofa broke free from the hand of the Grim Reaper and jumped down, heading straight towards Chi Jiayan who was holding a spatula.


    The assistant tugged on the tyrant¡¯s clothes and noted, ¡°President Zeng, over there.¡±


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    ¡°Pfft. Chi Jiayan¡¯s actually me.¡±


    Sure enough, the boy with a spatula in his hand laughed out loud. He knelt down and picked up the wolf cub. FpStfB


    The cub rubbed against his body, showing favor. Its black fur offset the boy¡¯s white skin, his eyes like dark gems, but also like a bottomless abyss.

 CH 21

    yoantlers [Translator]12-15 minutes


    Chunnan City had developed rapidly in recent years, but there was still an obstinate slum on the edge of the city.


    This area was originally all rental houses. The land belonged to the local aborigines, and all the houses were repaired without much thought. After twenty or thirty years, they became dilapidated. However, many migrant workers and people in the lower rung lived here. RZkcvt


    The local tyrant cooperated with other companies to buy this fixer upper district and improve the commercial area, but these poorer class people were too stubborn, not willing to be moved even when forced. Most of them had lived here for over ten years, and the leases they signed still had a long way to go, so they couldn¡¯t be driven away at all.


    They could be patient, but real estate companies couldn¡¯t afford to.


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    In the beginning, the local tyrant thought of many ways to remove these sticks in the mud, but none of them worked.


    Later, some people suggested a crooked method of dealing with them, saying that there was a master of making words come true on a dark and shady local forum. zgXKj


    The local tyrant asked someone to search for the source. He found out that this master really did have some ability, so he went to go find him.


    ¡°How much might you charge?¡± The local tyrant sat at the table. He faced the young man and said the formal ¡°you¡±, feeling like he was squeezing it out of his throat.


    Chi Jiayan was lanky and slender. His eyebrows were clear, and there was a fresh scar on his neck, but he didn¡¯t seem all that fragile or delicate.


    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult. As long as I can get to the people, I can do it.¡± He poured a glass of water for the local tyrant. ¡°Ten thousand.¡±


    PqeSy3


    ¡°Ten thousand?¡± The local tyrant was surprised.


    Even the assistant couldn¡¯t help the flash of contempt in their eyes. It was too cheap.


    They thought it would take at least ten times the price to hire this legendary god.


    It wasn¡¯t a good thing that the price was so cheap. The local tyrant began to wonder if this young man had any skill at all, and perhaps that was why he wasn¡¯t charging high? 5CvVr6


    ¡°Are you certain you can handle it?¡± the local tyrant couldn¡¯t help questioning. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, those people are not as easy to deal with as you might think. I sent people to offer them money before, and they didn¡¯t leave, yet you say you can persuade them with a couple of words?¡±


    Chi Jiayan poured himself some water. ¡°Mhm. Relax. If I can¡¯t then I won¡¯t take your money.¡±


    The local tyrant had his doubts. He was still considering when he heard the next sentence, almost believing he¡¯d heard wrong.


    The young man said casually, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m talking about ten thousand yuan per household. No bargaining.¡± SJK6 a


    ¡°Ten thousand per household?¡± The local tyrant was shocked. ¡°Are you kidding me? Kid, you might be better off stealing that.¡±


    There were at least a few hundred households in that dilapidated area. If each household was ten thousand, the total would be a price of several million. Even those famous fengshui masters who were hired when building the buildings didn¡¯t warrant this price. And now this kid who looked like he¡¯d barely grown hair yet was asking for it?


    ¡°Then forget I said anything.¡± Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t pressed. ¡°Take care. I won¡¯t see you out.¡±


    Seeing his attitude, the local tyrant felt furious that he had been tricked into running all the way here. l8PwEd


    He stood up and left affrontedly with his assistant.


    Jtl Aljsjc jvvfv j rfcafcmf jr tf tjv tlr yjmx aegcfv. ¡°Qtfc la gjlcr, la qbegr. Df mjgfoei. Kgjoolm pjwr jcv ygbxfc vbkc mjg fculcfr jgf mbwwbc.¡±


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    Coafg atlcur rfaaifv yjmx vbkc, atf Xglw Efjqfg jrxfv, ¡°Cgf sbe rtbga bc wbcfs?¡±


    Olcu Wljb jirb jrxfv ja atf rjwf alwf, ¡°Gb sbe regnlnf ys vblcu atlr cbk?¡± o 8Kp1


    Before this had come up, the two grim reapers were always in the house, and Chi Jiayan had been aware of their presence this whole time.


    At this point, he didn¡¯t conceal his needs, and he didn¡¯t feel any guilt, so he answered calmly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no shortage.¡± Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t avoid their gazes, as if he was saying something that was completely normal. ¡°I won¡¯t let myself go back to the life I used to live. I don¡¯t care if I was born under a lonely star. So what if I die alone; money can give me a life that no one else has, and it can also give me a sense of security. If you have money, what else could you need?¡±


    ¡°Money doesn¡¯t buy everything,¡± the other two said at the same time. uvTIsJ


    The Grim Reaper and Ling Xiao exchanged glances. Since they were basically the same person, they didn¡¯t have to hesitate to know what the other person was thinking.


    They had been in this world for thousands of years, so they were accustomed to seeing what kind of human desires and pursuits there were.


    Having money indeed was a good thing, but it was also something that always caused people to lose wisdom.


    ¡°Being able to buy anything I want is whatever. I don¡¯t really care about that,¡± Chi Jiayan said. ¡°Nobody will stay with me, so I¡¯ll control someone to be with me. I don¡¯t have friends, so I¡¯ll buy them. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± dArgBn


    At some point, Ling Xiao¡¯s expression had grown heavy.


    He suddenly moved to appear right in front of Chi Jiayan, his pair of bottomless amber eyes colder than a thousand year old ice.


    His face was pale. Looking down at Chi Jiayan, he stretched out a hand to caress the back of Chi Jiayan¡¯s head.


    ¡°Friends don¡¯t leave without saying goodbye.¡± Chi Jiayan also raised his head to look at him. His breathing was a little out of rhythm due to this intimate action. ¡°You don¡¯t even regard me as your friend.¡± 7yNcfz


    Ling Xiao¡¯s tone was dangerous. ¡°Speech spirit, you have lost yourself.¡±


    Chi Jiayan smiled. ¡°A death instance is like a knife. It has been hanging over my head since the day I saw you. Gege, I¡¯m not afraid of death. I¡¯ve tried to work hard, but look at me; nothing I do is worthwhile. I can¡¯t not focus on myself.¡±


    Ling Xiao¡¯s thin lips moved, and the Grim Reaper could already tell that he was about to say something disgraceful.


    The Grim Reaper teleported, knocking Ling Xiao away in an instant. GS6sic


    He wasn¡¯t about to let him make a promise to not let this boy die!


    Standing in place of Ling Xiao, the Grim Reaper¡¯s cold hands wrapped around the boy¡¯s throat.


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    Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes were devoid of expression.


    Even though his smile remained unchanging. 17d49T


    ¡°Just finish me off,¡± said Chi Jiayan. ¡°Gege. There¡¯s no point in me staying alive.¡±


    The Grim Reaper let go of him.


    This speech spirit, from the time when the Grim Reaper traveled back to when he was five years old, knew that he wasn¡¯t intended to become this kind of person, but he still followed the path of developing into that same  twenty-seven year old.


    No matter what, from the start, he had always been that undoubtedly kind hearted person. FTljZD


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t know if every speech spirit had to struggle through the mud until they walked down the road of no return, but Chi Jiayan was certainly doing that right before his eyes.


    There was mercy in the Grim Reaper¡¯s eyes.


    Ling Xiao stood behind Chi Jiayan and wrapped his arms around him.


    This was none other than a position of possessiveness. BFlAWC


    He faced the Grim Reaper and said, ¡°He can¡¯t die right now.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± the Grim Reaper asked emotionlessly.


    At that moment, the door slammed open. It turned out the local tyrant had come back, sweating profusely.


    He didn¡¯t appear to see any abnormalities inside the house, saying hurriedly, ¡°Mr. Chi! Mr. Chi, I am willing to agree with your price. But going back to the beginning, I¡¯ll only pay you one household at a time as they move away, alright?¡± Pb4nTZ


    Chi Jiayan leaned into Ling Xiao¡¯s arms. His broad chest made him feel very comfortable, so he squinted his eyes like a cat. He was not surprised to see the local tyrant regret and run back.


    The reason was because he knew that the local tyrant¡¯s car would break down for no reason, and there would be a long traffic jam on the road under the scorching sun. The important point was¡ªthe local tyrant received a call from his assistant, and the other party scolded him, saying that this matter had to be resolved quickly, or else he would have to bear the consequences.


    When people were in despair, they would make untrustworthy decisions.


    ¡°Fine,¡± replied Chi Jiayan. ¡°We can go now.¡± lh4y3V


    The Grim Reaper and Ling Xiao followed behind him.


    In order to not expose the fact that two grim reapers existed at the same time, the Grim Reaper put on his mask to hide his face.


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    Ling Xiao¡¯s mask had been cracked and disposed of long ago anyway, so even if he had it, it would be pointless.


    It was a testament to his weakness. t7m1Mj


    This let Chi Jiayan be able to clearly tell which one was from the future.


    Sensing the gloom on the Grim Reaper, Ling Xiao said, ¡°I can see his potential. You should give him another chance. You¡¯re trapped here anyway, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    When they came to the run-down area, Chi Jiayan got out of the car and looked around, feeling like the area was familiar.


    He explained to the two of them, ¡°I have a high school classmate who lives here. It cost a lot of money to get into A high school. His family conditions are not good, probably¡ªabout as poor as I used to be. I followed him here once. Several times.¡± LX80kF


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t ask why.


    Ling Xiao asked.


    The two were like two sides of the same coin, or more like, that was exactly what they were.


    Whether a god or a human being, they always had different views about things at different times. JhgBys


    The Grim Reaper knew the result of the future, and he thought that everything had to be changed step by step until it was finally resolved.


    Ling Xiao had seen the past and the present, and he thought that not everything was at it seemed, and that everything still had a chance.


    They knew each other as well as they knew themselves.


    That¡¯s why when one asked a question, the other remained silent. uLlfqm


    The local tyrant and his assistant went to call people for a meeting as ordered while Chi Jiayan explained the situation.


    It turned out, his dropping out of school wasn¡¯t without reason.


    At first, he was just isolated, but later, in order to ensure that this classmate wouldn¡¯t be targeted by the school bully, he secretly followed and protected him. Who would¡¯ve thought, not only was he not thanked for helping this classmate, but the other party also claimed that he was a pervert and an evil spirit.


    Whether the classmate had voluntarily or been forced to say so didn¡¯t matter; Chi Jiayan wasn¡¯t too surprised. CDQei2


    It wasn¡¯t until one day, he was put in a sack in the school bathroom and beat up. One of the people who beat him up was the classmate he had helped, which left him completely disappointed.


    Every time, when there was someone he wanted to help or grow close to, like his uncle¡¯s family, like Yu Xiaoqiu, like this classmate, or even the Grim Reaper, all he received was disappointment.


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    If a person could learn to not hold onto hope and to live as one desired, said person would no longer have to experience disappointment or sadness.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be here.¡± Chi Jiayan looked up at the old building in front of him. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± 7tls93


    The assistant brought over a small loudspeaker. Chi Jiayan took it and stood on a raised platform.


    Looking at the crowd of people below, he calmly took out a stack of papers and read loudly, ¡°Tenants, this land has been sold. The developer will give you compensation accordingly, but this land no longer belongs to you. Please move out immediately!¡±


    There was a lot of commotion from the people. They seemed to be riled up by the news, and those who were weak-willed headed home to start packing.


    Bright red streams of blood flowed down Chi Jiayan¡¯s nostrils. He covered his nose effortlessly without a change in his expression. DEsdfj


    ¡°If you don¡¯t move out within three days, your house will collapse.¡±

 CH 22

    yoantlers [Translator]12-15 minutes


    CW: mentions of suicide


    As soon as Chi Jiayan finished speaking, the people off stage started arguing loudly, reacting fiercely. 10SdrU


    Someone yelled at him, ¡°Hey! Are you threatening us? Modern society values the law, and you think you can force this demolition? What kind of reasoning is this?¡±


    Another said, ¡°Where is that Mr. Zeng of yours! You let him come out and speak! What¡¯s the point of letting this child with delicate skin and tender flesh speak? Did he hit his head on the bricks here a few days ago?¡±


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    The local tyrant hid behind his assistant and Chi Jiayan next to Ling Xiao, looking very timid.


    The Grim Reaper had his mask on, so ordinary people couldn¡¯t see him at all. coLYpi


    Seeing the mess, he looked at Chi Jiayan without a word, the meaning behind his eyes unclear.


    Chi Jiayan held the small loudspeaker in one hand, wiping his nosebleed with the other. While the audience chattered endlessly, he didn¡¯t make any noise, saying calmly, ¡°It¡¯s not a threat. We won¡¯t demolish it by force. If you don¡¯t believe me, try me. However, I advise you to get the compensation and leave. This city is so big, so why wouldn¡¯t it be able to accommodate you?¡±


    A woman cried out, ¡°We¡¯ve lived here for most of our lives; there¡¯s no other place for us to go! Where are we going to start over when we¡¯re old? There¡¯s still ten years left on the lease, and it was handed over only after I was able to cobble together bits and pieces to afford the rent!¡±


    This area had been leased out twenty years ago. The currency at that time was not the same as it is now, and the compensation according to the price in the contract was not enough for tenants to start anew in this city.


    9xFis


    Chi Jiayan knew this, but merely smiled. ¡°That¡¯s your business. If you can¡¯t start over, just give up. Why should others care so much about you?¡±


    As soon as he said these words, someone threw an egg at Chi Jiayan¡¯s face.


    Seeing this, the Grim Reaper stretched out his hand to pull Chi Jiayan over, barely avoiding it.


    Chi Jiayan hadn¡¯t been frightened at all. He glanced around the audience, as if wanting to find the culprit. dcLCYA


    Ling Xiao¡¯s brow furrowed imperceptibly.


    ¡°Speech spirit.¡± He pulled Chi Jiayan back. ¡°You can¡¯t keep going with this deal.¡±


    The resentment was too heavy.


    People who were shrouded in resentment for too long would lose their lifespan. pPzgmI


    Chi Jiayan said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gege. No one can hurt me.¡±


    At this moment, a boy in the crowd shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t reason with this man! This guy¡¯s a monster! He¡¯s a devil! He doesn¡¯t need to threaten you with the demolition at all. Anyone who comes across him will have bad luck!¡±


    That boy looked to be about the same age as Chi Jiayan with fair skin and good looks, wearing a pair of refined glasses.


    It was a pit that he was wearing cheap clothes, and his behavior was just that of the common folk. RmeIoy


    He spoke convincingly, but he ducked his head and hid behind the crowd, which was quite cowardly. In fact, it made people associate him with some other words: educated degenerate; weak without shame.


    Someone said, ¡°Xiao He, do you know him?¡±


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    Ktf ybs vlvc¡¯a rqfjx jcswbgf. Lf kjr jogjlv bo yfmbwlcu atf ajgufa bo atf qfbqif¡¯r mglalmlrw.


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    Not only did he notice this strange coincidence, Ling Xiao naturally noticed it, too.


    The two looked at each other, and the Grim Reaper shook his head. kGg4oE


    This question¡­did it have to do with the natal chart?


    Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t know about this change, or more likely, even if he did, he would¡¯ve ignored it. It didn¡¯t change the fact that he was playing devil¡¯s advocate.


    He at the present knew that people in this world didn¡¯t need to be pitied.


    ¡°He Kangcheng, come out.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°I saw you.¡± ZsWFqb


    People were quiet for a while, and the boy named He Kangcheng had no choice but to show himself.


    ¡°Chi Jiayan!¡± He Kangcheng said bravely. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can do whatever you want because you have a bit of demonic power. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s immoral for you to do this?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I also think I¡¯m quite wicked,¡± said Chi Jiayan pointedly. ¡°Especially since I¡¯ve saved a villain like you. If I had known earlier, I should¡¯ve just watched you get beaten to death.¡±


    He Kangcheng was speechless, his face turning blue and white. 16VHPo


    When others saw this, they didn¡¯t take the grievances between mere students like He Kangcheng seriously, continuing to quarrel.


    Chi Jiayan finally made a few conclusive remarks before handing the loudspeaker to the assistant. He dusted his hands off and prepared to leave.


    The local tyrant followed behind him and asked repeatedly, ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s it, and you¡¯re done?¡±


    Chi Jiayan said, ¡°Yup. It¡¯s over.¡± XOJWlR


    The local tyrant got annoyed. ¡°No¡ªI say, you¡¯re taking this too casually. You want to charge me so much money, so you have to let me rest assured, right? Like the high school student just now, the one surnamed He! His family is one of the most stubborn residents in the area. His parents died early and his grandma is a disabled person. The family receives subsistence allowance and poverty subsidies. We can¡¯t move him easily. You could go to his house with me, or else I won¡¯t be relieved until I see with my own eyes that he agrees.


    Chi Jiayan stood still under the sun, his skin glowing with the youth of a teenager.


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    His appearance was indeed eye-catching, but he was like a white rose with thorns. Anyone who tried to underestimate him would be stabbed until they bled.


    The local tyrant felt his heart thump heavily. A chill passed through him in broad daylight. bFEQDu


    Chi Jiayan really didn¡¯t want to go.


    He really didn¡¯t need to go the extra mile.


    Ling Xiao said, ¡°Go.¡±


    Chi Jiayan became docile immediately, saying obediently, ¡°Okay. If Gege says so.¡± yqSPE1


    The Grim Reaper: ¡°¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to go with them, so he turned invisible, preparing to contact Lu Cheng.


    He wanted to see if He Kangcheng¡¯s death was related to Chi Jiayan, since apparently Ling Xiao thought so, too.


    Lu Cheng¡¯s voice was muffled in his consciousness. He could faintly hear the soul-devouring beasts mumbling human words. It seemed like he had gotten a lot busier recently. TpC6t


    The loss of contact with the natal chart caused the gods to be unable to receive instructions in this world, so they could only follow the rules of the past one step at a time.


    ¡°Master Ling Xiao, wait a minute. I¡¯ll look through the records,¡± Lu Cheng muttered. ¡°It¡¯s so annoying. The natal chart died and we all had to go back to the original way of doing things. Now everything has to be processed manually, which is simply inefficient¡­the name was He Kangcheng, right? Ah, I remember; it seems like he was the one who bullied our Jiajia not too long ago.¡±


    Lu Cheng and Chi Jiayan occasionally kept in contact.


    Chi Jiayan had no friends, so even if it was just Lu Cheng, he appreciated the opportunity to interact. x0GRXd


    It was a pity that in Lu Cheng¡¯s eyes, even if he had a special relationship with this speech spirit, he was still a human with a short lifespan. In addition, the Grim Reaper hadn¡¯t appeared in front of the speech spirit for several years, so his sense of novelty had diminished. Nevertheless, he still understood.


    The Grim Reaper didn¡¯t speak. Lu Cheng could talk a day away just by himself.


    He was used to enduring this noise.


    ¡°This kind of person¡¯s gotta die in the end. He deserves it¡­¡± Lu Cheng said to himself as he flipped through the files. ¡°Last time I saw our Jiajia, he had a bruised nose and swollen face, crying alone on the way home under the heavy rain. My god, tsk tsk, to bite the hand that feeds, who is the heavens supposed to pardon¡­Most humans really aren¡¯t good things. By the way, Master Ling Xiao, why did you suddenly think to ask about this person? No¡ªwait¡ªare you going to see Jiajia right now?¡± 63OtUR


    The Grim Reaper let out an indifferent hum.


    ¡°Eh? I thought you guys weren¡¯t in contact anymore. Didn¡¯t you already leave a breakup token? Why are you back together again¡­¡±


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    ¡°Lu Cheng,¡± said the Grim Reaper coldly, ¡°don¡¯t speak nonsense.¡±


    Lu Cheng was not in front of the Grim Reaper, so he became bolder, saying confidently, ¡°What nonsense! That mask! You gave him your broken mask as a present! He drew pictures all over it, and I even accompanied him to go buy the paint!¡± z1G3dx


    The Grim Reaper felt a headache coming on.


    His past self had thrown away that mask as trash, but that boy had picked it up?


    This really¡­there were loopholes everywhere!


    Was such a thoughtless and weak person really another version of himself? gNGytA


    The Grim Reaper couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Are you done looking yet?¡± He held a hand to his temple, interrupting Lu Cheng¡¯s unrestrained imagination.


    Lu Cheng was finally quiet for a handful of seconds before he said, ¡°Well, here it is. This He Kangcheng is nineteen years old, uh¡­committed suicide by jumping off a building. The time is today. It looks like we¡¯ll meet soon, Master Ling Xiao.¡±


    The Grim Reaper wasn¡¯t interested in chatting with Lu Cheng, so he disconnected his consciousness without mercy. tz82sX


    He tracked down the aura of his other self to follow Chi Jiayan and the others, coming across an unbelievable scene from afar.


    The self from this timeline¡ªLing Xiao, was actually carrying that speech spirit on his back.


    It had never occurred in thousands of years to personally carry a human on his back in public!


    Seeing him arriving, Ling Xiao said calmly, ¡°How is it?¡± k5YcJ2


    The local tyrant and his assistant thought he was talking to Chi Jiayan and said, ¡°Apologies, Mr. Chi. We didn¡¯t know about your injury. Seeing your bad complexion, we thought it was merely because you were pale. Fortunately, your gege is here, so there was no need to worry.¡±


    They walked quickly because of their impatience. Their concern was also fake, and they went around the next set of stairs first in a flash.


    The Grim Reaper gave Ling Xiao a cold look, but didn¡¯t speak.


    He realized he was very reticent towards his other self. OPjUMo


    In human terms, there were too many things to complain about, so he didn¡¯t know where to start.


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s face was pressed against the back of Ling Xiao¡¯s neck. The coolness from the skin-to-skin contact made him feel very comfortable in the hot weather. He didn¡¯t seem to be able to sense the dissatisfaction of the Grim Reaper, putting his arms around Ling Xiao with an innocent face, as if he was afraid of falling.


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    And Ling Xiao didn¡¯t realize that this posture was too intimate. He supported Chi Jiayan with his big hands very seriously.


    ¡°I lost a lot of blood a few days ago, so I suddenly became dizzy and asked Gege to carry me,¡± Chi Jiayan explained softly to the Grim Reaper. He713B


    The heat of his breath passed against Ling Xiao¡¯s earlobe.


    The Grim Reaper was suddenly aware of how his pale lips were diamond shaped, and there was even a lip bead.


    ¡°Gege, you¡¯re so kind.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s dimples showed. ¡°Whichever gege you are is fine. You both protect me and cherish me. I haven¡¯t felt this way in a long time¡­Last time I was carried on someone¡¯s back was when I was very young, and only my dad would do it. It¡¯s like I¡¯m going back to my childhood right now. How nice.¡±


    He had just finished speaking when Ling Xiao¡¯s earlobes quickly grew red. iFH3DC


    The sharp numbness caused by the hot air from when he was speaking seemed to pass through his other self¡ªLing Xiao, onto the Grim Reaper¡¯s own body. The Grim Reaper had never experienced this kind of feeling before. His slow-beating, almost static heart shook slightly.


    Ling Xiao, who had felt the same thing, stopped in his tracks.


    He lowered his eyelashes, as if watching the road very carefully in case he fell.


    ¡°Come down.¡± The Grim Reaper¡¯s voice suddenly dropped to a freezing point. ¡°Come down immediately.¡± nUh9RZ


    He looked at Chi Jiayan expressionlessly.


    Cold air quickly spread throughout the corridors.

 CH 23

    CW: mentions of suicide


    Chi Jiayan put away his soft smile, obediently getting down from Ling Xiao¡¯s back, like a primary school kid who had just gotten scolded by the teacher.


    Maybe it was because he was really dizzy, because just as his feet hit the ground, he staggered before he could properly get his footing. The Grim Reaper subconsciously grabbed his elbow.


    At the same time, Ling Xiao grabbed his other hand.


    The two were on his left and right, one front and one back. If someone didn¡¯t know better, it almost looked like they were fighting over him.


    It was Chi Jiayan¡¯s turn to blush.


    The assistant had gone upstairs first with the local tyrant, but seeing that the rest of them didn¡¯t keep up, he quickly ran down again. ¡°Mr. Chi?¡±


    In the eyes of ordinary people, Ling Xiao was the only one standing next to Chi Jiayan. That man was exceptionally tall, handsome, and unsmiling. Most notable was his pair of cold phoenix eyes, which made people feel like he was unapproachable.


    Ling Xiao let go of Chi Jiayan¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chi Jiayan nodded obediently. ¡°Okay Gege.¡±


    The assistant murmured in his heart that as strange as Chi Jiayan was, he was so submissive when it came to his gege.


    But his gege was also very strange. He was so gloomy that one couldn¡¯t help but tremble after looking at him. He was even weirder than the other. But whatever; he didn¡¯t understand the world of these experts.


    Upstairs, He Kangcheng¡¯s house was noisy. His grandma was paralyzed and suffering from Alzheimer¡¯s disease, currently cursing at people.


    The local tyrant¡¯s face was a black as the bottom of a pot while he was scolded. When he saw the assistant, he naturally vented his anger onto him. ¡°I told you to call someone; what are you dawdling about? Are you trying to run away?¡±


    Ling Xiao glanced at him coldly, and the local tyrant shut up immediately.


    Chi Jiayan also knew this was making oblique accusations, but he had no interest in getting involved.


    Because He Kangcheng was also standing in the room. The moment he saw him enter the room, his eyes became very resentful.


    He Kangcheng didn¡¯t know that a tall man in black, the god who controlled death itself, was standing very close to him, looking at him with the gaze one would look at to view dead things.


    ¡°What else do you want?¡± He Kangcheng asked. ¡°Get out! Otherwise, I¡¯ll call the police!¡±


    ¡°How will you call them?¡± Chi Jiayan looked around his humble home. ¡°I¡¯m here. Are you sure you can call the police?¡±


    ¡°Chi Jiayan!¡± He Kangcheng was furious.


    ¡°Move away.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s nose started bleeding again. ¡°There¡¯s nothing good here.¡±


    He Kangcheng wanted to fight against him, and he had a deep attachment to this place, so he was not very easy to control, causing Chi Jiayan to bleed for the second time.


    Truly, there was nothing good here.


    Zbra bo atf oegclaegf jcv batfg atlcur lc atf tberf kfgf nfgs biv, atf rasifr beavjafv ys afc sfjgr bg rb. Ktfgf kjr jc biv rwfii bo vfmjs fnfgsktfgf, bcf atja Jtl Aljsjc kjr nfgs ojwliljg klat. Pa wjvf tlw gfmjii jcbatfg tbwf, atf bcf lc atf Hlcrtel cflutybgtbbv. Lf gfwfwyfgfv mifjgis tbk tf tjv mtjcufv atfgf, tbk tf tjv rageuuifv atfgf.


    There was a series of complexities in Ling Xiao¡¯s eyes. He had a deep impression of that house, so he naturally noticed some similarities between He Kangcheng and Chi Jiayan to some extent.


    They were both young people who had shouldered heavy responsibilities on their own, struggling to survive.


    That was why when He Kangcheng was being bullied that one time, Chi Jiayan came to help him.


    There were two pictures of the deceased on the side cabinet. It was a couple of a man and a woman. The ashes from the incense burner in front of the photos were from long ago, entangled with some cobwebs. It was rather dirty.


    When Chi Jiayan saw this, he finally showed a bit of emotion.


    He Kangcheng took a step forward to block the photos, panting heavily.


    ¡°Move away,¡± Chi Jiayan repeated. ¡°Get the compensation and live in a well-ventilated and well-lit place. This way it¡¯ll be good for your grandma.¡±


    After the grandma was finished scolding the local tyrant, the hacking in her throat seemed to be unstoppable.


    The room was dark and damp, and she, whose legs were completely paralyzed, struggled to get water from beside the bed to drink because she couldn¡¯t reach.


    Obviously, the local tyrant didn¡¯t want to help her. The assistant didn¡¯t like the old people smell from her body and was reluctant to get close to her, holding his nose clamped in a pretentious manner.


    He Kangcheng turned a blind eye. He had no intention of helping her.


    If he was this indifferent in front of other people, how was he when he was alone with his grandma?


    He spat at Chi Jiayan. ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t be such a hypocrite. How much did you charge to do these immoral things? Aren¡¯t you making more people hate you by doing this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting money to avoid disasters. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Chi Jiayan asked.


    ¡°You killed your parents and relatives by yourself. Of course it¡¯s easy for you to live alone. Whatever you want to do, you can just do it. I have to take care of an elder! Don¡¯t you know how high the housing prices are in this neighborhood? I can¡¯t afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment! What can I do with that small amount of money?¡±


    Chi Jiayan turned a deaf ear to him, supporting the old lady and kindly helping her drink some water.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t afford a two-bedroom apartment, rent a one-bedroom apartment. Don¡¯t treat your grandma like a piece of baggage,¡± said Chi Jiayan. ¡°You won¡¯t know the value of your loved ones until one day, you have nothing left.¡±


    After drinking water, the old grandma smiled at him and said some incomprehensible words.


    He Kangcheng sneered. ¡°What does a monster like you know? You can control a group of people just by talking. You can live a life of prosperity without doing anything. How would you know my pain?¡±


    In his eyes, Chi Jiayan was just standing there, no weights to be shouldered on his back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Chi Jiayan replied. ¡°And I¡¯m not interested. All I see is you refusing to work hard, always blaming other people. I became independent when I was younger than you, and I didn¡¯t live a life much better. What¡¯s the use of throwing a pity party for yourself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m useless, I should¡¯ve died long ago!¡±


    ¡°Then go die. As long as you¡¯re willing to.¡± Chi Jiayan laughed coldly. If he had even a trace of pity in his heart earlier, it was all but gone and replaced by anger.


    Hearing these words, the Grim Reaper stood in a dark corner like a phantom, waiting to strike.


    Ling Xiao said, ¡°Speech¡­Jiajia, come here.¡±


    Chi Jiayan left the grandma¡¯s side and walked over to Ling Xiao, unaware that he was currently going through a trial.


    ¡°The land has already been sold,¡± the local tyrant interjected angrily after seeing there was no result from their talk. ¡°Are you trying to get more money by refusing to leave? We paid your compensation according to the contract you signed. It¡¯s already a sumptuous amount, so don¡¯t even think about asking for an extra cent! If you don¡¯t believe what Mr. Chi said, just try! At worst, the house will collapse in three days, so you have time to run away.¡±


    ¡°The compensation will be doubled.¡± Chi Jiayan said, ¡°For you to take care of your grandma with.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± The local tyrant¡¯s eyes bugged out, but the man in black robes looked at him aggressively, and his arrogance disappeared instantly. ¡°I will not agree to give more. Don¡¯t open the floodgates! If others come to me asking for double, who¡¯s supposed to be responsible then?!¡±


    ¡°The double that he gets will be deducted from my salary. No one else will know.¡± Chi Jiayan looked at He Kangcheng. ¡°Do you agree?¡±


    He Kangcheng was still fuming, but he was shocked and frozen when he heard this sentence.


    Then, he suddenly roared, sweeping the incense burner to the floor with a wave of his arm. ¡°I want you to take care of it! I want you to be a hypocrite!¡±


    The incense burner shattered with a bang, and all the accumulated incense ash scattered across the floor, creating a pungent and unpleasant smell in the dark and poorly ventilated house.


    Everyone was startled.


    He Kangcheng covered his head and yelled hysterically.


    He looked so demented that no one wanted to stay much longer.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, send the money over tomorrow. It¡¯ll be good if he collects it, but if not, then we¡¯ll wait until the house collapses in three days.¡± The local tyrant went outside. ¡°I won¡¯t have to call the demolition team. By the way Mr. Chi, do you want to do business with the demolition company¡­¡±


    The local tyrant had a pretty good plan, causing even the assistant to laugh to himself when he heard.


    But of course, Chi Jiayan wouldn¡¯t answer. Every time he wished too much, he would feel very uncomfortable. The feeling of backlash was very uncomfortable.


    Saying that this place would collapse was just to scare the tenants. He couldn¡¯t afford that responsibility, nor did he have that much spiritual power. Compared with controlling such a large area at one time, it was much easier to control humans, small objects, and even the weather in a specific area.


    The group of people left. Ling Xiao silently followed behind Chi Jiayan.


    The local tyrant was in a hurry, as if they had endless things to do, anxious to get to the next house.


    ¡°He Kangcheng might really die,¡± Ling Xiao said.


    ¡°Then he should die.¡± Chi Jiayan was calm. ¡°What does it have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t want to save him?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Chi Jiayan turned his head, peach blossom eyes curved up in a smile. ¡°He probably wanted more compensation so that he could live alone and get rid of his grandma. Nursing homes are fine and all, but how is that better than having a relative by your side? For this kind of person who doesn¡¯t know how to cherish that and is unwilling to change, if he dies, he dies.¡±


    He really didn¡¯t take human lives seriously.


    Even if he knew the sentence, ¡°Go die, as long as you¡¯re willing to¡± was a sentence with a lot of leeway, if he really did think that way in their heart, it would be infinitely magnified in his heart. There was still a possibility that it would lead to tragedy in the end, but Chi Jiayan didn¡¯t have a speck of sympathy about it.


    This completely subverted his good image from the past.


    Ling Xiao wanted to say some more, but Chi Jiayan changed the subject. ¡°Gege, you called me by my name earlier.¡±


    Ling Xiao now understood why those peach blossom eyes were smiling. ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t deny it.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s dimples flashed. ¡°Jiajia¡­the way you said ¡®Jiajia¡¯, I really liked how you called me.¡±


    Ling Xiao passed by and left.


    When the two went downstairs, Chi Jiayan realized that the one with a mask hadn¡¯t followed.


    Before he had time to question it, he ran into Lu Cheng, who was rushing over.


    Lu Cheng had no intention of disguising himself. He came with his feet bare, antlers in full display as he walked toward the crowd of people still discussing relocation.


    ¡°Master Ling Xiao!¡± He waved his hand. ¡°Jiajia! What are you doing here?¡±


    Ling Xiao knew what he was doing here, so while he was thinking, Chi Jiayan spoke first.


    ¡°Lu Cheng!¡± Chi Jiayan looked more like a normal boy his age as he waved his hand. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Lu Cheng was used to Ling Xiao¡¯s silence and indifference, so he didn¡¯t feel awkward, approaching with a smile. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same ol¡¯ job that¡¯s stayed the same for thousands of years¡­someone here¡¯s about to jump off the building.¡±


    At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted, ¡°Someone¡¯s going to jump off the building!!¡±


    The sentence was like water poured into a frying pan. All of a sudden, the excitement and anxiety caused by the relocation news turned into chaos.


    Amidst the noise, Ling Xiao raised his head.


    At some point, He Kangcheng had climbed the stairs to the top floor, standing on the building rooftop, blankly looking down at the ground.


    Lu Cheng sighed beside him, speaking to himself. ¡°Oh, these people that commit suicide, they don¡¯t choose good ways to die. Even if you hang yourself or throw yourself into a river, it¡¯s better than falling from a high place or jumping off a building. At least a whole body can be left. It¡¯s a good thing we collect souls, not corpses, otherwise it¡¯d be gross¡­can¡¯t believe we have to do this every year.¡±


    As he spoke, he took a bunch of black fur balls out from his wide sleeves. They gave off death aura, walking up the stairwell in a neat queue.


    ¡°It may be too late now,¡± said Ling Xiao.


    Chi Jiayan also looked up the stairs, as if he didn¡¯t expect that there was someone in the world who really wanted to die because of their own cowardice. A look of disgust appeared on his face.


    ¡°What is this kind of person doing alive?¡± he asked. He paused, adding viciously, ¡°Death isn¡¯t something to be pitied for.¡±

 CH 24

    Off to the side, Lu Cheng¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Jiajia? What¡¯d you say?¡±


    He didn¡¯t believe his ears. He didn¡¯t want to believe that there would be a day where that kind hearted, soft and cute Chi Jiayan would speak such words, so he had to ask. 1w3dbm


    Ling Xiao and Chi Jiayan both didn¡¯t say anything, both of them facing up at the rooftop.


    That dying life was still very young. Maybe he did have the feeling of being dragged down by his grandma, but that wasn¡¯t worthy of sympathy.


    Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.


    For some reason, this factor was amplified in Chi Jiayan¡¯s eyes, so he didn¡¯t think about the value of a life at all, nor did he consider the feelings of others with a kind heart. He just felt that such a life deserved to be damned if it had such a flaw, so he remained indifferent.


    He ignored the pain, ignored the pity, acted recklessly, and had no heart left at all. s6Hr5P


    ¡°Ah!!!¡±


    People suddenly shouted in unison.


    Surprisingly, the moment He Kangcheng jumped off, a pale hand grabbed the back of his collar.


    The indifferent face of the Grim Reaper appeared behind him.


    E6mt3s


    Chi Jiayan¡¯s face changed slightly.


    Lu Cheng¡¯s first reaction was, unlike the others, not relief. He was also used to seeing life and death, so he didn¡¯t share the same feeling of ¡°it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay¡±, or holding a hand to his chest, or having his heart returning after dropping to his stomach. He was a little dumbfounded. ¡°Master¡­Ling Xiao?¡±


    No one paid him any mind.


    He glanced at the Ling Xiao who was close at hand, then looked up at the one upstairs again, and repeated dumbly, ¡°Two¡­Master Ling Xiaos? Which one is the real one?¡± lKNWFg


    Ling Xiao was not surprised that his other self would do that.


    He withdrew his gaze casually. ¡°Both are real.¡±


    Lu Cheng hadn¡¯t encountered such a thing as time-space jumping before, so he seemed to ponder for a while. ¡°So it¡¯s like this. I¡­understand¡­¡±


    Upstairs, the Grim Reaper lifted He Kangcheng back from the air with one hand. dVr9N1


    Rescuing people in public was obviously not what the Grim Reaper should do.


    Everyone started applauding.


    Unfortunately, the local tyrant and his assistant who were walking in front were recognized. This incident aroused people¡¯s anger. They obviously thought that the relocation had forced He Kangcheng to jump off the building, and they immediately surrounded them.


    Someone saw Chi Jiayan and Ling Xiao. ¡°There are two other accomplices there!¡± 284q6E


    People came running, cursing.


    Ling Xiao didn¡¯t think twice. He grabbed Chi Jiayan¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go first.¡±


    Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.


    Lu Cheng pulled his sleeves back to let in the furballs, and at the same time widened his eyes. Master Ling Xiao, who has always been unreasonable¡­took the initiative to hold a human¡¯s hand?


    But who would¡¯ve thought, Chi Jiayan gently pulled his hand away. I2lDRm


    His expression was a little strange. He lowered his head for a second or two before raising his head again, and said with a smile, ¡°Gege, I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡±


    Ling Xiao looked at him silently.


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    ¡°You scum!¡± someone scolded him. ¡°Having money must be great, huh?!¡±


    ¡°Doing these immoral things at such a young and tender age! It¡¯s caused someone to try and jump off the building!¡± someone else yelled angrily. ¡°You also have a family! You also have parents! Think about it, will you have the face to go show when your parents find out you do these immoral things?!¡±


    With Ling Xiao¡¯s height, he could easily see Chi Jiayan¡¯s expression in the crowd.


    He saw that his eyes were gloomy, but there was a smile on his face, a pair of dimples looming. ¡°Be careful.¡± zupxLS


    Others were still cursing and bringing up his whole family.


    ¡°It will be bad luck if you get too close to me.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s voice was not too loud, as neutral as if he was chatting. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that you won¡¯t also jump off the building.¡±


    The person who asked him if he had the face to meet his parents had scolded him, but still didn¡¯t feel relieved. Seeing that Chi Jiayan was neither humble nor overbearing, he pushed him hard. ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Chi Jiayan staggered for a while, quickly regaining his balance, and said to the man, ¡°You, slap yourself.¡± 3O54hV


    The man was taken aback, and sure enough, he mechanically raised both hands and bowed left and right, as if his face wasn¡¯t his own, and hit himself hard.


    ¡°Witchcraft!¡± Everyone retreated. ¡°This person is a monster!!¡±


    The man obviously knew he was in the right mind, and he was still cursing Chi Jiayan, but unfortunately, the harder he scolded, the harder he beat himself.


    Two people came by and desperately dragged the man¡¯s arm away from himself, trying to figure out a way to stop him. ObjEdP


    There were indeed some people who were not afraid of him. From out of nowhere, someone came through the crowd with a bucket of sewer water to dump over him.


    Chi Jiayan reacted quickly and turned sideways to avoid it, but his shoes were still inevitably stained. The big puddle of oily residue on the ground had already fermented and corroded in the hot weather, giving off a foul smell.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    The one who poured the sewage was a middle-aged man, probably a swindler. He put his hands on his hips and said, ¡°We¡¯ll see how much witchcraft you can do after you¡¯ve got bad luck!¡±


    Someone asked him, ¡°****, you¡¯d be able to deal with this kind of person?¡± a ND1H


    The swindler said with a know-it-all attitude, ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ve heard before of there being such a speech spirit in City A. I didn¡¯t believe it, but now I¡¯ve seen it with my very own eyes.¡±


    An old lady was very curious. ¡°What is a speech spirit?¡±


    The swindler looked at Chi Jiayan from head to toe. ¡°My master knew one before, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen one. A speech spirit uses words as sorcery, a heavenly fiend lonely star! His close relatives will die! The worse off others are, the stronger he gets!¡±


    He Kangcheng had previously said so, but nobody took him seriously. Only now did people realize what ¡°punishing parents¡± meant. 91I4oU


    ¡°The entire family was wiped out?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he purposely cursed them all to death!¡±


    ¡°No wonder he¡¯s so evil. He wasn¡¯t a good thing since birth!¡±


    Chi Jiayan paled. unM1L


    This kind of situation had happened to him countless times.


    Within his own neighborhood as a child, at family gatherings, when he was in school¡­these situations had happened so many times, so he had long since developed a steel heart towards them.


    ¡°Do you all want to die?¡± Chi Jiayan said frostily. That attack with the sewer water had done nothing to him. As long as he wanted to harm them, he could.


    In that moment, Ling Xiao could feel Chi Jiayan¡¯s ¡°If you die I will drag you to hell myself¡± type of hatred, but he could also feel that Chi Jiayan was trying his best to hold back from this kind of violence. tJyEMK


    The Grim Reaper came to stand next to Ling Xiao, saying coldly, ¡°Is this the potential you saw?¡±


    Ling Xiao ignored him.


    They had two identical faces, were two identical people, but they had completely different mentalities.


    Lu Cheng felt a little scared. orJnb


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    People shouted from the crowd.


    Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com


    Nobody was scared of Chi Jiayan anymore.


    ¡°Scram already!¡± euWLFD


    ¡°If you don¡¯t beat it, I¡¯ll kick you once every time I see you!¡±


    Someone pounded their fists threateningly.


    Chi Jiayan stood in the middle of the crowd, face wan, eyes hardened. He looked like he was baring his fangs, but he was really just a weak and helpless little animal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the Grim Reaper anymore.¡± Ling Xiao looked at the crowd and spoke suddenly. HlAVI2


    The face of the Grim Reaper, who was also watching the crowd, changed drastically. ¡°How dare you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Ling Xiao turned to look at his other self. ¡°I¡¯ve been tired for many years. It¡¯s time to let go.¡±


    Lu Cheng knew he shouldn¡¯t interrupt, but he still raised his hand weakly. ¡°¡­That¡­I¡¯m not ready to take your place.¡±


    No one paid him any attention. bOQFgd


    ¡°You will never return to our original world like this,¡± the Grim Reaper said coldly.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°Ling Xiao, how is that world doing? What is it like? Do you still remember? Do you really want to go back so badly?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The Grim Reaper couldn¡¯t refute, but he also couldn¡¯t stand his cowardice. ¡°If you do this, I will disappear.¡±


    Ling Xiao frowned. He almost forgot about that part. R seh1


    Although he already made a decision, he was not ready to abandon his other self.


    ¡°I have persisted for so many years. I don¡¯t want to fall short,¡± the Grim Reaper continued. ¡°The order of the future world cannot be disrupted by you just because of your weakness. One misstep will cause irreparable consequences, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Why do you always feel that it¡¯s just me who is weak?¡± Ling Xiao retorted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same? Why did you allow him to live that day, and why did you save that idiot today? Wasn¡¯t it because you were afraid that he would regret it afterwards? When will you admit that you can¡¯t bear it either?¡±


    ¡°Stop arguing¡­¡± Lu Cheng tried to interject. bJ3izE


    Although it looked like they were two independent individuals, they were actually the same person. It seemed incredible that such a quarrel would happen, but it could probably be interpreted as someone undergoing a strong internal struggle.


    Mm¡­and it was because of a very special speech spirit that this internal struggle came to be.


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    The Grim Reaper snapped, ¡°I will always get everything back to normal!¡±


    Ling Xiao also said mercilessly, ¡°It¡¯s too late! Everything has changed since long ago!¡± 9ltArD


    This sentence struck Lu Cheng, and he interrupted loudly, ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡±


    The two Ling Xiaos looked at him synchronously. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Lu Cheng quickly explained, ¡°I went back for a bit, and the natal chart is definitely broken. But I asked Fate, and after he calculated it, he said, ¡®There¡¯s a segment that¡¯s wrong, one loop knotted with another loop. Only an unexpected guest can untie it.¡¯ You¡­no, which one is Master Ling Xiao from the future?¡±


    The Grim Reaper replied, ¡°Me.¡± sNcwQv


    ¡°Then you should be the unexpected guest,¡± said Lu Cheng. ¡°There¡¯s an aspect of you that went wrong, causing the current timeline to stagnate. The natal chart was handling two different timelines at once, so it broke. If you¡¯re going back to your future world, you¡¯ll have to right your wrongs.¡±


    The Grim Reaper understood.


    It was when Chi Jiayan was thirteen years old that he made a mistake. He had accidentally revealed his identity to Chi Jiayan, creating the starting point for Chi Jiayan and Ling Xiao to get along.


    He had only tried to keep going back to the future, and hadn¡¯t tried to go back to the past again. 3xM5P4


    If he went back to that point in time to correct the mistake, then this timeline would disappear, the chaos would stop, and he could go back to the future.


    Ling Xiao knew what he was thinking, and said lightly, ¡°You can¡¯t do it.¡±


    The Grim Reaper said, ¡°You¡¯re drawing conclusions too soon.¡±


    ¡°Your opponent is yourself.¡± Ling Xiao added one final sentence. ¡°How can there ever be someone who can beat a version of their real self?¡± dSdwWV


    After Ling Xiao finished speaking, he entered the crowd.


    He was tall with a stern face, born with an aura of calmness and majesty that made people cower.


    He was dressed in all black, and at this moment, his aura was heavy, dropping a chill in the air.


    Everyone shivered in unison. Xqa5rA


    He scanned the audience with that gaze that looked down on all beings. His phoenix eyes were like polar ice, but when those eyes fell on Chi Jiayan, they gradually became warmer, mixed with love and affection that he himself wasn¡¯t aware of.


    Chi Jiayan was surrounded and had been verbally attacked. He couldn¡¯t endure it any longer, enduring only by stubbornness to support himself.


    Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com


    What he said before was true¡ªthat he had been seriously injured and was weak and dizzy.


    ¡°Gege.¡± Chi Jiayan¡¯s stubbornness collapsed the moment he saw Ling Xiao break through the crowd. His tone pleaded for help pitifully. QsDOb


    To his surprise, Ling Xiao leaned down, picking him up horizontally.


    The sudden elevation and weightlessness made Chi Jiayan hook his arms around Ling Xiao¡¯s neck subconsciously. As soon as he raised his head, he looked into Ling Xiao¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid,¡± Ling Xiao said. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±