Chapter 37
Wu Mu lay motionless on the bed, eyes closed, unconscious.
This was Xue Changyi’s home, and Wu Mu was lying on his bed. If he were conscious, he would be ecstatic, after all, he was Xue Changyi’s biggest fan.
Unfortunately…
Wu Mu’s face was slightly pale, and he showed no reaction.
Xue Changyi’s brow was furrowed with worry. “Second Brother, how is he?”
Li Han, having just examined Wu Mu, sighed softly. “Let’s talk outside, we shouldn’t disturb his rest.”
Xue Changyi glanced at the unconscious Wu Mu, then nodded, following Li Han out of the bedroom.
“Second Brother…” Xue Changyi had never been so worried about someone before. Apart from his brothers, he was usually indifferent to everything.
Li Han’s expression was grave. “Wu Mu’s true form is the three-legged Golden Crow. The pollution affects him first…”
He paused, then continued, “It’s like a terminal illness for him. There’s no cure at the moment. Perhaps in a hundred or two hundred years, the Central Office will find a way to eradicate the pollution and control the encroaching death, but… not now.”
Xue Changyi’s expression faltered. “But by then, it’ll be too late.”
Indeed, it would be too late.
The encroaching death would arrive within a hundred years at most, and the first sign would be the fall of the sun. Wu Mu, as the Golden Crow, would be the first to be affected.
Li Han gently patted Xue Changyi’s shoulder. “Changyi, the best solution now… is to keep your distance from him. That way, the Golden Crow’s energy might last for a hundred years.”
A hundred years of lingering survival.
Xue Changyi didn’t reply, just said, “Thank you, Second Brother.”
He entered the bedroom.
Li Han smiled wryly. “Still so stubborn.”
Xue Changyi quietly sat by the bed, gazing at Wu Mu’s face, which, though still slightly pale, had regained some color. It was hard to believe that this handsome man was the same weak and vulnerable little crow who had fainted during an arm wrestling match.
“You’re awake, aren’t you?” Xue Changyi said.
Wu Mu remained still, showing no reaction.
Xue Changyi wasn’t in a hurry. He picked up the small box from the nightstand, the box containing the rings Wu Mu had brought.
Click—
He opened the box, took out the rings, picked up the larger one, and, his gloved hand holding Wu Mu’s hand, gently slid the ring onto Wu Mu’s ring finger.
“Didn’t you…” Xue Changyi chuckled softly, “want to be my husband?”
Wu Mu’s eyes snapped open, as if he had been jolted awake. Despite Xue Changyi wearing gloves, he sat up abruptly.
“You agreed?!” His eyes, no longer clouded with sleep, were bright with excitement. He grabbed Xue Changyi’s hand, repeating, “You agreed?”
Xue Changyi didn’t speak, just looked at the other ring in the box.
Wu Mu, still somewhat rational despite his excitement, picked up the ring and carefully slid it onto Xue Changyi’s ring finger.
Identical rings, gleaming softly.
Wu Mu whispered, “I’m not dreaming, am I?”
Xue Changyi smiled. “Probably not.”
“I don’t believe it,” Wu Mu said seriously. “Kiss me, then I’ll believe it.”
“Pfft…” Xue Changyi couldn’t help but laugh. Who would believe that the cold and ruthless Director General of the Supervisory Department could be so childish?
He leaned forward, pressing a light kiss on Wu Mu’s lips.
“You…” Wu Mu’s eyes widened in surprise.
Their lips touched, a brief but intimate contact. Xue Changyi’s lower lip immediately reddened, a small bead of blood welling up.
Wu Mu said with concern, “Why did you really kiss me? You’re hurt.”
Xue Changyi smiled. “Didn’t you ask me to?”
Wu Mu’s eyes were filled with a conflicted emotion, his cold gaze clearly saying—Kiss me again! Kiss me again!
The intensity of his desire was almost palpable.
“Want another kiss?” Xue Changyi raised an eyebrow.
Wu Mu’s expression was conflicted, but he finally nodded seriously. As a devoted fan, he couldn’t refuse his idol’s kiss.
Xue Changyi, however, said, “No, you need to rest.”
Wu Mu: “… ” His face fell, like a disappointed puppy.
Xue Changyi tucked him in. “Be good and rest.”
He didn’t leave, however, but got into bed beside Wu Mu, their bodies covered by the same blanket. He reached out, his gloved hand intertwining with Wu Mu’s.
They kept a distance, but their hands were clasped together, the leather of the gloves creating a tantalizing barrier.
Xue Changyi whispered, “Let’s just sleep tonight, alright?”
Wu Mu’s eyes sparkled with excitement, too excited to sleep. He turned on his side, propped up on his elbow, gazing at Xue Changyi.
Xue Changyi asked, “Why aren’t you resting?”
Wu Mu said, his words unrelated to the question, “You’re mine now.”
Xue Changyi sighed. “Yes, yours, now get some rest.”
Wu Mu’s excitement intensified, his gaze fixed on Xue Changyi, as if trying to caress every inch of his skin with his eyes.
“If you don’t rest, I’m leaving,” Xue Changyi said. He had been the homeroom teacher of Class Nine, he knew how to handle difficult students.
Wu Mu immediately closed his eyes. “I’m asleep now, don’t talk to me.”
Xue Changyi: “… ”
The next day, Wu Mu had recovered and went to Jixia Academy with Xue Changyi.
Wu Mu had classes in the afternoon and made plans with Xue Changyi to go home together in the evening, to sleep hand-in-hand again.
After his classes, he went to find Xue Changyi, but he wasn’t in his office.
Jiang Ziya, grading papers, said, “Teacher Xue? He didn’t have any classes last period, I think he’s already left.”
“Left?” Wu Mu frowned.
He immediately called Xue Changyi, but there was no answer. He sent a text message.
—Where are you? Not at school?
Xue Changyi’s reply came quickly.
—Something came up, you go home first.
Wu Mu’s face fell, like a puppy left alone, staring at his phone with a slightly mournful expression.
Buzz—
His phone vibrated, another message.
—Be clean and wait for me in bed.
Wu Mu: “!”
Whoosh—Thump!
Jiang Ziya felt a gust of wind, his papers almost flying away. He looked up, but Wu Mu was gone.
He mumbled, “What’s the rush?”
After sending the text message, Xue Changyi imagined Wu Mu’s reaction and couldn’t help but smile.
“Heh—heh—heh—”
A strange laughter echoed from afar, accompanied by the thump, thump, thump of a cane. Granny Meng approached.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting, Yama King. There were so many… so many people drinking Meng Po soup today. As you know, the pollution is getting worse, and naturally, there are more deaths.”
Xue Changyi’s smile faded as he put away his phone. “It’s alright, I only waited a short while.”
Granny Meng said, “Congratulations on your retirement, Yama King. You finally left the Yama Courts, you shouldn’t be here, adding to your troubles…”
Xue Changyi said, “Granny, you know why I’m here.”
“Heh—heh—heh—” Granny Meng chuckled. “Since you call me Granny, I’ll offer you some advice. Some things are… unresolvable, don’t force them. There are many things in this world beyond our grasp.”
Xue Changyi smiled politely. “Granny, you also know my nature.”
“Indeed, indeed,” Granny Meng nodded. “I almost forgot. If the Yama King has set his mind on something, perhaps no one can dissuade him.”
Xue Changyi bowed slightly. “Granny, please tell me, is there truly no solution to the encroaching death?”
Granny Meng looked up at the distant sky. “Yama King, have you ever been to the Mirror of Retribution? It’s said that the First Yama King’s Mirror of Retribution can see the past, present, and future, never wrong.”
She thumped her cane on the ground and walked away. “I’ve said all I can.”
Xue Changyi gazed at her retreating figure, murmuring, “The Mirror of Retribution…”
Beyond the Iron Gate, the Mirror of Retribution was a sacred place in the Underworld.
It could see past lives, and ordinary individuals couldn’t approach it. But Xue Changyi wasn’t ordinary, he was the sworn brother of the First Yama King, a Yama King himself, no one would question his presence there.
He arrived at the Mirror of Retribution without any obstacles.
The giant mirror hung suspended in the air, atop a mountain. On a clear day, it could be seen faintly gleaming from the top floor of the Pangong building.
Xue Changyi slowly approached the mirror, his reflection appearing on its surface.
Ripple—
Like water disturbed, the reflection began to distort, becoming hazy and unreal.
A figure in black appeared in the chaotic void, a dying crow before him.
It was a scene from Xue Changyi’s past, his first encounter with Wu Mu. A single tear of pity, transforming into rivers and lakes, bringing hope to the little crow.
Ripple—
The mirror rippled again.
Xue Changyi’s reflection stood at the edge of the Terrace of Forgetfulness, one step away from the abyss.
He held his black umbrella, gazing calmly into the darkness, his expression serene.
He tilted the umbrella, releasing his grip. The umbrella, caught by the wind, flew away, and the bright sunlight shone on him.
He didn’t avoid it, instead spreading his arms, basking in the warmth.
His skin reddened and blistered, blood welling up in some places, but he didn’t seem to notice. He took a step forward, then leaped into the abyss.
Boom—!!!!
A powerful shockwave erupted from the abyss, reaching towards the sky, like a volcanic eruption, like the earth splitting open.
The sound of the spirit stone exploding, echoing through the world.
Xue Changyi stared at the mirror, almost feeling the pain himself, the burning, shattering pain.
“So that’s it…” he murmured.
This was the solution Granny Meng had spoken of, both a solution and not a solution…
The spirit stone would absorb sunlight and explode, the energy released enough to flatten ten Central Offices, but that same energy would also revitalize the world, a surge of life force.
In other words, the spirit stone’s self-destruction was a catastrophe, but also a way to delay the encroaching death, buying time, perhaps a hundred years, for the Central Office to find a true solution.
And the Xue Changyi in the mirror had chosen to jump, to sacrifice himself. The world beneath the Terrace of Forgetfulness wasn’t real, the explosion wouldn’t cause actual damage, and the released energy would return, benefiting the world without any real harm.
The only casualty… would be Xue Changyi himself.
He smiled, a soft, sad smile. “So that’s it.”
