Chapter 18: Heartfelt Admiration

If living meant a muddled consciousness, unable to even perceive one’s own existence; a body too weak to walk independently, isolated from the outside world for years—then what did death count for?

If possessing power that allowed one to follow their heart’s desire, to face any oddity, any unknown without retreating—then what did pain count for?

The white-haired, red-eyed Fierce Ghost hovered in mid-air. A near-boundless chill spread outward from him as the center. The temperature dropped so low that the walls began condensing mist. His pale skin was covered in cracks, like a shattered and repaired porcelain vessel, as if one wrong move would scatter his entire body onto the floor.

He reached out his hand. The corpse lying on the ground with tightly shut eyes was instantly covered by a layer of grey ice, frozen solid from head to toe, as if sleeping within an ice coffin.

With a gentle wave of his hand, a crisp sound followed—crack crack crack—as the ice shattered, taking the corpse within along with it into powder.

Now, only he remained in this world.

It was clearly the same face, clearly still the same person. Yet before, even if the little young master acted strangely or remained silent, one would only attribute it to a child’s temperament and dismiss it with a smile, or at most chalk it up to the instance NPC’s “character setting,” without further thought.

It wasn’t like now, where simply by standing there, by merely existing, he inspired endless terror and pressure from the bottom of one’s heart. One dared not look directly, dared not approach.

This was his Domain, his world. No one could escape.

Wei Congxin was petrified.

The golden frog also stiffly gulped, turning into a statue on the spot.

Little Bear, however, adored its little master no matter what. It clambered arduously onto Yin Luo’s head, settling there like a hat. Its white fur almost merged seamlessly with the white hair, and both pairs of crimson eyes seemed to complement each other perfectly.

Only Lin Yujing, seeing this scene, blanked out for half a second. His eyelashes fluttered; his gaze flickered. The game announcer’s voice was completely forgotten.

“Truly… beautiful.” The grey-haired man murmured softly, a faint pink hue surfacing on his cool, distant-as-the-far-mountains face.

In his vision, the ice-grey Corpse Frost Power and the scarlet Flesh and Blood Force coalesced, resembling a flowing liquid painting, or perhaps a brilliantly radiant sun, forcefully pushing aside all the thick, murky Yin energy. Even the golden chains representing the game’s rules veered away from him.

He was so pure. Even as a Fierce Ghost, his soul held not a single impurity. Not complex like a normal person’s seven emotions and six desires. Lacking the usual rancid resentment of ghosts, no unwillingness, no pungent killing intent. So pure that only deathly stillness remained.

Like a youth newly awakening to love, after witnessing the mediocrity of the mortal world for two decades, Lin Yujing finally glimpsed a celestial being descending to the mundane realm today. He realized that his still, dead heart could still feel joy because of something external.

He took a step forward and slowly grasped the white-haired Fierce Ghost’s icy hand. His brows and eyes lowered, he spoke in a tone that could almost be called gentle: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Feeling the continuous warmth flowing from the other person’s palm, Yin Luo didn’t refuse, nor did he lash out. He merely looked at him impassively, like a Deity gazing upon a believer.

The relief from the unceasing chill that eroded his soul made one want to sigh in contentment.

This was far more effective than the gem Lin Yujing had seemingly spent half a day carving. If the heat contained within the gem was like holding a cup of milk tea in a cold wind to warm your palms, then the power transmitted from Lin Yujing’s hand now was already comparable to a steaming hot spring in the dead of winter, soothing both body and mind when soaking within.

“The pain is because the newborn power hasn’t yet adapted to your body. You just need to firmly grasp control of the power and slowly adapt,” he said, revealing a faint, slightly embarrassed smile. “I can teach you.”

“After all, we’re friends, right?”

The white-haired Fierce Ghost, his thoughts unreadable, remained silent for a moment. Then, as if in tacit agreement, he obediently drew in all the chill emanating from his body.

What on earth was all this!

What was wrong with these two?

Weren’t they mutually hostile, wary of each other just moments before?

Weren’t they a player and a Boss? Why did the atmosphere between them seem so harmonious now?

Were they really normal people? Could normal people produce this kind of conversation? Or was the abnormal one actually me?

The sole normal person present, Wei Congxin, watched this scene, his back against the wall, shivering, desperately wanting to flee.