Chapter 19

It was an utterly ordinary evening—so ordinary that it was boring, utterly mind-numbingly boring.

Yin Bujie sat on the edge of the Black Abyss beside the Strangeness King Palace, watching the strangenesses in the distance tear at each other’s body parts in endless fights. The familiar stench of blood permeated the darkness, and the false light hung pallid and lifeless overhead, stark white.

“How dull,” Yin Bujie said, as if speaking to the Heart-shaped Strangeness beside him or perhaps just to himself. “So pointless.”

With that, he flicked his long sleeve and leaped into the abyss.

His feet had barely touched the void when his sleeve was grabbed. A domineering force yanked Yin Bujie back to solid ground.

Before he could turn to look, an even more brutal force slammed into his calf, kicking him hard into the abyss.

“…”

Mid-fall, Yin Bujie flipped through the air and landed back on the edge, where he spotted a cold-faced little strangeness who looked only six or seven years old.

Yin Bujie eyed him curiously. Neither he nor the Heart-shaped Strangeness had noticed the little one’s approach. The kick had packed real power. When had such a formidable little strangeness appeared in the Underground World?

“Who are you?” Yin Bujie wasn’t angry about the kick. On the contrary, the impressive power surging within this little strangeness lifted his spirits. He had always wanted to strengthen the strangeness race, and one with such potential deserved his special attention.

Then the child said, with that very same expression, “I’m your son.”

“…”

“Impossible,” Yin Bujie replied. “I like men.”

The little strangeness stared blankly for a moment before resuming his cold face. “I am your son. Believe it or don’t.”

The Heart-shaped Strangeness sidled closer and whispered, “Your Majesty, some male strangenesses can give birth. It might be their path of strangification.”

“That’s still unlikely,” Yin Bujie said.

Pondering his cryptic words, the Heart-shaped Strangeness thought for a few seconds before whispering again, “Some male strangenesses don’t even need to sleep with you. Just a strand of your hair or a drop of your blood can produce a little strangeness. There are paths of strangification like that.”

Yin Bujie: “…”

And so, in the center of the Strangeness King Palace Garden sat the little strangeness, awaiting the Ghost Doctor for identification.

Strangenesses hid all around the garden, whispering curiously among themselves.

“Is he really His Majesty’s child?”

“Impossible. His Majesty despises fragile creatures like children.”

“But don’t you think he looks a bit like His Majesty? Especially those peach-blossom eyes—they’re practically identical.”

“His aura feels similar too. It’s scary.”

Hearing their murmurs from his seat by the window, Yin Bujie stared at the little strangeness and said, “Now I think he might actually be my son.”

The Heart-shaped Strangeness immediately chimed in, “You see the resemblance too? I thought so the moment I saw him—that’s why I said what I did.”

“No.” Yin Bujie propped his chin on his right hand, his red lips curving up slightly. “Besides me, who else could sire such a powerful little strangeness?”

“…”

In the end, the Ghost Doctor declared that the little strangeness was indeed the biological son of Strangeness King Yin Bujie.

Yin Bujie named him Yin Le, because the boy always wore such a cold expression. He loved to tease him: “Don’t pull that sour face all day. Smile a little—find some joy.”

Yin Bujie’s gaze grew brighter and brighter when he looked at him. Even when this Little Devil King lashed out at him, Yin Bujie’s eyes shone even more. Thrilled and proud, he declared, “I’ve got such an amazing son—does Qiao Qingshuang have one? Hahaha!”

So young and already this strong. In the future, wouldn’t he defeat Qiao Qingshuang and lead the strangeness race to rule the world?

But that was just the beginning. The Little Devil King’s ability to give every strangeness in the Underground World a headache soon revealed itself.

The Little Devil King had a fiery temper and bristled at the sight of blood. Whenever he saw strangenesses fighting in the Underground World, he charged straight into the fray. His domineering energy first left the evil anomalies complaining bitterly, then tiptoeing around him warily. In time, fights among evil anomalies ceased entirely—their gathering spots in the Underground World became more harmonious than human society.

This little ancestor was sharp-tongued too, in a way that made Yin Bujie grit his teeth and think of a certain Celestial Master. Yin Bujie actually enjoyed their brawls sometimes, but the boy’s biting words often sent him into a rage.

Finally, like many parents before him, Yin Bujie heard the strangenesses’ tearful pleas. In his most furious moment, an idea popped into his head: Maybe it was time to ship this Little Devil King off somewhere for a few days?

The thought of school came naturally.

That idea arose from the Strangeness King’s momentary surrender, but the more Yin Bujie thought about it, the more it made sense. This little ancestor was destined to return to the surface and rule the world as a strangeness. He needed the finest education and knowledge of the world above.

School it would be.

To that end, Yin Bujie personally scouted the best educational spots, even compiling this school selection handbook with the utmost care—heaven could attest to that.

He never expected such a brutal counterattack.

“Shisheng Primary School.” Since the boy wouldn’t choose, Yin Bujie decided for him, picking what he deemed the best elementary school. “Just wait for enrollment!”

“You’re not the one who raised me personally,” the Little Devil King’s long lashes drooped. “You don’t love me at all.”

Yin Bujie: “…”

This was the Little Devil King’s most infuriating trait—amid his ruthless outbursts, he’d suddenly turn clingy like this.

“If I didn’t love you, would I bother with all this?” Yin Bujie’s voice softened. “Am I a masochist?”

The Little Devil King pressed on. “You just see me as a tool to revive the strangeness race.”

Yin Bujie shot back, “Then I’d toss you into the Beast Fighting Arena and train you to kill—that’d be enough.”

Bai Chen jumped down from the chair and walked over to Yin Bujie. So small, he didn’t even reach Yin Bujie’s knee. Tilting his head up, he gazed at him. “Daddy, do you really love me?”

The flamboyant Strangeness King, who had never uttered the word “love” to anyone in his life, felt a strict father’s awkwardness toward his son. He merely grunted an “Mm.”

Bai Chen replied, “Then write a love diary for your son. Record how much you love me each day and what makes you love me even more.”

Yin Bujie: “?”

What the hell?

“You can’t, because you don’t love me, right?” The soft child mode shifted toward devil spawn. “I knew it.”

Yin Bujie: “Don’t try reverse psychology on me.”

“Daddy writes the diary, and I’ll go to Shisheng Primary School,” Bai Chen said. “Once I’m at school, I won’t see Daddy as often. But I can read the diary and know Daddy loves me always.”

Yin Bujie: “…”

A few minutes later, under Bai Chen’s bright, expectant gaze, Yin Bujie sat at the desk with pen in hand, his eyes dazed.

How had it come to this?

Satisfied after watching Yin Bujie finish an entry, Bai Chen basked in the feast of his Strangeness King’s love. Feeling utterly content, he opened his eyes on Qiao Qingshuang’s side—just in time to hear Qiao Qingshuang say to Su Xuan, “Shisheng Primary School it is.”

His eyes closed again.

Dong Man, who had been striving to be an outstanding assistant, noticed Bai Chen’s soft sigh on set. She hurried over and asked attentively, “What’s wrong, Teacher Bai Chen?”

Bai Chen: “Getting a little love is harder than I thought.”

Dong Man: “…”

Was that even human speech?

This guy not only commanded love from millions of fans but also from two apocalypse bosses!

After sharing the news in the group chat, everyone began treating Bai Chen as a figure on par with the apocalypse bosses.

An excellent assistant never lets her boss’s words fall on deaf ears. Dong Man said, “How could that be? You’re already loved by so many people.”

Bai Chen: “Not enough. I want the world’s most powerful people to love me. I want lots and lots of love.”

Dong Man fell silent for a moment, then gave Bai Chen a mental thumbs-up. Not worthy of being her quarter-savior.

She had met many who shied away from talking about love or demanding it—let alone so bluntly craving “lots and lots,” especially from the world’s mightiest. Arrogant as a playboy, yet he said it with such sincerity.

An idea came to Dong Man’s mind. “Since ancient times, two kinds of love have been celebrated in this world. One is parental love for a child—the greatest, most selfless kind.”

Bai Chen nodded. That’s why he was Yin Bujie’s son, just like being Qiao Qingshuang’s little brother.

“The other is romantic love,” Dong Man continued. “So deep it drives people mad. Mysterious and profound.”

Bai Chen nodded. He had heard of it and craved that kind of love too, but hadn’t found the right match yet. He needed someone with immense power.

Dong Man said, “Teacher Bai Chen, do you know about oxytocin?”

“Oxytocin?” Bai Chen gave her a strange look.

Dong Man: “No, no—not for making babies.”

Though if he could… Stop!

“Oxytocin is called the love hormone,” Dong Man explained.

The words “love hormone” rolled silently around Bai Chen’s mouth, tasting delightful. They made his veins tingle faintly, his eyes growing brighter. He loved the name—it promised lots and lots of love.

“Romantic love is mysterious and ineffable. Spiritually, it’s two souls merging—an encounter you can’t force. But physiologically, it’s achievable through effort: producing oxytocin.”

Drawing on her experience, Dong Man added, “Oxytocin comes from hugs, kisses, and other intimate contact. The more intimate, the more oxytocin.”

“If you want the world’s most powerful people to love you, start by producing oxytocin. The more you produce, the deeper the love. Romantic love is a treasure trove waiting for you to unlock.”

Bai Chen pondered this.

“The world’s most powerful people.” Dong Man thought it over, seemingly impartial. “I don’t know… but the Xuzhou Big Shot has to be one of them, right?”

Dong Man didn’t see Chu Xuzhou, nor did Bai Chen. But he felt Chu Xuzhou’s gaze land on him. Just that gaze sent dense waves of love burrowing into his body. If there were intimate touches… Bai Chen narrowed his moist eyes.

Hungry.

He wanted lots and lots of high-energy love.

Bai Chen’s veins heated up, feeling achingly empty.

Sensing the heat, he thought of something and shook his head. “He’s too hot.”

Dong Man: “…”

Yes, she had felt it too—the Living Dead’s body temperature had spiked inexplicably and stayed high even now. Intimate contact might burn a little.

But not all intimacy felt bad just because of high temperature.

“There’s a saying back home: The higher the body temperature, the stronger the energy—and the easier to produce oxytocin.” Dong Man told a white lie—not entirely false. “I don’t know for sure. Why don’t you try?”