Chapter 49

On the third day, Tang Zhao went to the Temporary Hospital with Zhou Zhuo Hua, while Bai Chen Zhu continued to take on commissions with Jiang Ye as usual.

Having only gone once, Bai Chen Zhu already felt he had gotten the hang of it, able to help deal with Mutated Fish in time and the Mutated Birds that came to snatch food. He believed that with a bit more time, his movements would become even more nimble.

During their downtime, they chatted with the fishermen, who knew a lot about that Mr. Li but couldn’t say much about the current Bai Guang Zheng—over and over, they just kept saying he was Mr. Li’s son-in-law, as if besides the words “son-in-law,” they couldn’t come up with any other merits of the man.

When they asked about Bai Family matters, like Li Zhen Zhen or Bai Li, they couldn’t get any more information.

Bai Chen Zhu’s thoughts shifted, “Right, one more question.”

“Is there an organization for Ability Users in Luozhou City? My friend and I both want to join.”

The fishermen looked at each other in bewilderment, their eyes blank.

“Ability User organization? Never heard of it. Are there that many of them?”

“Come to think of it, when Mr. Li was around, I did hear about them—three heads and six arms, strong as oxen, able to split a mountain with one palm!”

“Nonsense, they’re not that powerful. Look at these two young guys; they look all soft and tender.”

…

They started chattering away.

Bai Chen Zhu had to interrupt them and steer back to the topic, “So besides us, are there other people taking commissions?”

On this, they had answers, nodding one after another.

“Yeah, there are. Just that their skills aren’t great—they’ve got eyes but no sense. And there aren’t many of them; sometimes a commission hangs for days with no one coming.”

Bai Chen Zhu propped his chin, looking at Jiang Ye, “Back in Fuguang City, I saw an Ability User team.”

Mentioning Chen Hao, Jiang Ye scoffed, “I know what you’re getting at. Fuguang City is such a small place, yet it has more Ability Users than here—there must be something off about this place.”

—

That afternoon, the boat returned early, and he and Jiang Ye strolled side by side along the Luozhou City coastline.

The sky was bright, and he could clearly see the towering Holiday Hotel piercing the clouds, and the people coming and going in orderly fashion. Though short on supplies, they radiated a vigorous hope for tomorrow.

After all, in Luozhou, as long as you were willing to work, you had food, drink, and shelter; you could unite to fend off mutated species, with no worries about the future.

Bai Chen Zhu’s mood was uplifted by them, feeling much better, and he couldn’t help sighing, “Actually, it’s pretty good here. Whether Ability Users or ordinary people, everyone has their role. Conflicts and disputes exist but get resolved quickly. As long as we unite, Luozhou will definitely grow into a massive human base in the future.”

Jiang Ye had been humming a carefree tune, but upon hearing this, he stopped in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Chen Zhu turned back to look at him, seeing a storm brewing on his face. Thinking there was some anomaly, Bai Chen Zhu scanned the surroundings widely with his Mental Power but found nothing unusual.

He opened his eyes, and Jiang Ye’s face was very close.

Bai Chen Zhu raised one finger and poked it on his forehead, pushing the person away before asking unhurriedly, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Ye leaned back to dodge his finger, crossed his arms and pondered for a moment, then said gloomily, “Do you still remember why we came to Luozhou?”

With this look, he seemed full of resentment. Bai Chen Zhu smiled faintly. “Of course I remember, but so what?”

So what?

The problem was enormous. Jiang Ye suddenly asked, “You don’t plan to stay in Luozhou, do you?”

Bai Chen Zhu saw the mix of worry, anxiety, urgency, and other emotions on his face. He smiled slightly, spread his arms against the sea breeze. The wind was strong, making his clothes flap loudly, as if he were about to ascend as an immortal and fly away.

“Jiang Ye, look—the climate here is so nice, and the dangers are within a controllable range. Who wouldn’t be tempted?”

Jiang Ye pressed his lips together, staring fixedly at Bai Chen Zhu. “A’Zhu, don’t do this.”

Bai Chen Zhu’s eyes held a smile. “Jiang Ye, if it were Bai Tao, Tang Zhao, Sister Zhuo Hua, and the others who wanted to stay, what would you do?”

“It’s very safe here. If they want to stay, I’d respect their choice.” Jiang Ye didn’t understand why he was asking this.

“Then why aren’t you planning to respect my choice?” Bai Chen Zhu shot back suddenly.

Jiang Ye froze. That resentment and dissatisfaction vanished like a flower in a mirror or moon on water, shattered by a sudden external force without a trace. He clenched his fist, unable to speak for a long time. “I…”

I what?

If Bai Tao wanted to stay, that would be perfectly normal—it was her destiny, after all. If Sister Zhuo Hua wanted to stay, he’d think it fitting too; as an ordinary person, it was too risky for her to follow him. As for Tang Zhao, that kid had abilities—he could get by anywhere. But Bai Chen Zhu couldn’t. He…

Jiang Ye came up with reasons for everyone else to stay, yet he couldn’t think of any reason why Bai Chen Zhu couldn’t.

Jiang Ye’s throat bobbed slightly as he opted to overturn a boatload of people with one pole.

He said firmly, “The Bai Family has issues. It’d be very dangerous for you to stay.”

“Oh?” Bai Chen Zhu stepped onto the colorful pebble path, walking forward slowly. “Then if you stayed with me, it wouldn’t be dangerous anymore, right?”

Jiang Ye immediately caught up, looking at him sideways. “I won’t stay.”

He could have guessed as much. Bai Chen Zhu nodded, saying nothing.

Getting no response, Jiang Ye grew anxious and reached for his wrist. “A’Zhu!”

Bai Chen Zhu dodged Jiang Ye’s hand.

He paused, gazing into the distance where a couple strolled by hand in hand. His heart stirred as he thought of his own loving parents.

Before transmigrating, he’d been planning to have them buried together. He wondered if his uncles and aunts had followed through later—perhaps adding him in too, so the family of three could reunite.

Bai Chen Zhu chuckled at his own imagination and turned to look at Jiang Ye.

How rare. They hadn’t gotten along at first sight, and he never imagined they’d end up inexplicably tied together, becoming the person most deeply entangled with him in this other world.

Bai Chen Zhu considered himself someone who desperately needed emotional feedback, and at that moment, the thought of putting down roots in this world suddenly sprouted in his mind.

Coincidentally, there was someone right by his side whose age, experiences, and gender all matched perfectly.

Even knowing full well that some things couldn’t be forced, Bai Chen Zhu still couldn’t help probing the other’s thoughts over and over. “Then give me a reason to stay by your side.”

Jiang Ye looked utterly blank, as if asking matter-of-factly: Does this even need a reason?

Bai Chen Zhu raised an eyebrow, a glint of sharpness flickering between his brows. “Heh, you want a free ride?”

He sidestepped the deeply pondering Jiang Ye and headed toward the manor.

That intimate couple, arms linked, rounded a corner and vanished from sight. The edge of Bai Chen Zhu’s gaze, fixed on them moments before, was now filled with Jiang Ye’s figure.

Jiang Ye chased after him, brimming with confidence. “A’Zhu! I thought of a reason!”

Bai Chen Zhu perked up a little, stopping in his tracks. He turned to look at him seriously, leaning in to listen. “What is it?”

Jiang Ye declared energetically: “Let’s become sworn brothers!”

Sworn brothers!

Brothers!

Bro…

The words hit Bai Chen Zhu like a dizzying blow. He pressed a hand to his forehead, equal parts exasperated and amused as he eyed him skeptically. “That’s it? That’s all you came up with?”

Jiang Ye gripped his shoulders, laughing boldly and without restraint. “From now on, we’ll share blessings and hardships alike. I’ll be honest with you, never abandon you, loyal to the end!”

With that, he pulled Bai Chen Zhu into a tight hug and thumped him twice on the back with resounding smacks.

“Alright, got it.” Bai Chen Zhu nearly coughed up blood from the blows and hurriedly shoved him away.

Jiang Ye was still grinning, his expression a stark contrast to Bai Chen Zhu’s, looking like a gleeful simpleton.

It was exactly the kind of thing Jiang Ye would come up with. Bai Chen Zhu was utterly defeated. He personally snuffed out the fragile little sprout that had just emerged in his heart.

Without commenting on whether the reason was good or bad, Bai Chen Zhu just waved it off, changing the subject. “Forget it. Let’s head back early today.”

Jiang Ye, ever one to bring up the worst possible topic, perked up excitedly. “Then shall we do the sworn brotherhood tonight? I’ll go prepare the stuff?”

What sworn brotherhood. Bai Chen Zhu viciously pinched the soft flesh of his cheek, leaning in close to enunciate each word crystal clear: “No. Need.”

He let go, sighed deeply, turned, and walked away.

He must’ve lost his mind, courting trouble like this.

Jiang Ye chased after him, circling around him persistently. “Don’t worry—even without a ceremony, you’ll always be my little brother in my heart!”

What little brother? For the first time, Bai Chen Zhu was rendered so helplessly amused that he lost focus, missed a step on the stairs, and nearly tumbled down.

Jiang Ye reached out to steady him. Bai Chen Zhu spun around and stomped hard on his toe. Jiang Ye sucked in a sharp breath.

“Jiang Ye, you’re really something else.” Bai Chen Zhu had no idea what expression to wear when looking at him anymore.

The last time he’d laid hands on Jiang Ye was probably right after transmigrating, when he’d frequently plotted to assassinate him—Jiang Ye ought to thank him for being too weak back then to finish the job. They’d finally reached a fragile peace, and now he wanted to hit him again.

Bai Chen Zhu breathed rapidly to steady his emotions, reminding himself not to get mad. Jiang Ye’s brain had never been all that normal to begin with.

“What little brother? How old were you when you died in your last life?”

Jiang Ye dodged away, putting two steps of distance between them, not daring to get close. “Around thirty, I suppose.”

Bai Chen Zhu, who had only lived to twenty-six in his previous life, choked. He advanced step by step, voice low and grave. “We won’t count it that way. We’ll go by the bodies’ ages.”

He jabbed a finger at himself, utterly certain. “I’m twenty-one this year. If I remember right, you’re a year younger than me.”

Jiang Ye wanted to protest that they couldn’t count it like that, but he caught sight of Bai Chen Zhu smiling.

It was a smile, but it sent a chill down Jiang Ye’s spine. He didn’t dare make a sound.

“Perfect, no objections. That’s how we’ll do it.” Bai Chen Zhu made the unilateral decision, nodding. “You’re the little brother.”

Jiang Ye grumbled in dissatisfaction. “I’m not…”

The rest of his words were muffled as Bai Chen Zhu clamped a hand over his mouth.

They were very close. Bai Chen Zhu’s striking eyes brimmed with warning, utterly domineering. “Don’t say anything I don’t want to hear, or don’t speak at all.”

Who needs someone else’s permission to talk? Jiang Ye grabbed Bai Chen Zhu’s wrist, intending to shove him away.

But for some reason, he—who feared neither heaven nor earth—now recalled that cold smile on Bai Chen Zhu’s face. Staring at those features so near at hand, he inexplicably felt a twinge of fear.

It wasn’t fear of the other’s strength so much as a psychological surrender. He didn’t want Bai Chen Zhu to get mad over this and start ignoring him.

Jiang Ye gazed at his brows and eyes, then nodded as if possessed.

Whatever. It didn’t matter.

As long as he knew Bai Chen Zhu would stay by his side.

—

Two days flew by.

Staying in the same manor, finding where Bai Li lived wasn’t hard. The challenge was probing him with all those guards around.

Tang Zhao, still uneasy, double- and triple-checked. “You’re just going to probe him, right? You won’t secretly stir up trouble without telling me?”

Jiang Ye ruffled his hair. “Quit imagining things. We’re guests here—if there’s trouble, it won’t be us starting it.”

Tang Zhao let out a heavy sigh. “I hope Big Brother Jiang’s mouth doesn’t jinx it this time.”

Jiang Ye cracked up and ruffled his hair a few more times.

“Just in case, skip the commissions today.” Bai Chen Zhu couldn’t shake his unease. “Everyone clear out of the manor. If things look bad, get out of Luozhou immediately.”

Zhou Zhuo Hua calmly reined in the fidgeting Tang Zhao and adjusted her glasses. “We’ll do that. You two be careful.”