Chapter 39: [End of Main Story]
“What was that?” Dong Lan asked. “What was that sound?”
The explosion hadn’t just come from the phone, but also from the distant sky.
Wu Mu didn’t answer, his brow furrowed. He immediately called back, but Xue Changyi’s phone was turned off, unreachable.
Beep, beep, beep—
His own phone rang. The caller ID—Supervisory Department.
“Hello! Boss!” An Envoy’s voice was urgent. “A massive explosion just occurred at the Terrace of Forgetfulness! The Central Office is sending us to handle the situation, to prevent panic.”
Wu Mu said curtly, “Alright.”
Dong Lan asked, “What’s going on?”
Wu Mu’s voice was serious. “There was a massive explosion at the Terrace of Forgetfulness. I heard the same sound from Xue Changyi’s phone, I don’t know if he’s nearby, I have to go check it out.”
“I’m coming too!”
The Terrace of Forgetfulness.
The vast platform was now a desolate wasteland, leveled to the ground.
The deep abyss below seemed even deeper now, a gaping darkness, the air thick with the smell of burning and destruction.
“Boss! You’re here!”
Supervisory Department personnel greeted him.
As soon as Wu Mu arrived, he felt a powerful surge of energy wash over him, along with the smell of burning, a warm, comforting energy that flowed through his body.
He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. “What… what’s going on? Why is this happening?”
“Boss? Are you alright?”
Wu Mu couldn’t hear them, the familiar energy resonating within him. He knew this energy, he had been intimately intertwined with its owner just last night, and now, it was everywhere, filling the air, entering his body with every breath.
Footsteps approached, someone standing silently behind him.
It was Li Han.
“Don’t let Changyi’s sacrifice be in vain,” Li Han’s voice was husky, his gaze fixed on the abyss below.
“What?” Wu Mu murmured.
Li Han repeated, “Don’t let Changyi’s sacrifice be in vain.”
Dong Lan asked in surprise, “Second Brother, Wu Mu, what are you talking about?”
Wu Mu’s eyes flickered, pointing at the Terrace. “Xue Changyi… where is he? Where is he?”
Li Han’s throat bobbed, his voice even hoarser. “For now, there’s no solution to the encroaching death. But if there’s a power source to sustain the Golden Crow, to keep the sun shining, it can be delayed for at least a hundred years, and by then, perhaps with human ingenuity, we might find a solution.”
Dong Lan stared at him in shock. “Second Brother… what are you saying?”
Li Han looked at Wu Mu, his gaze intense. “Changyi wanted you to live, he wanted everyone to live. He said that many, many years ago, when he saw that little crow dying of thirst, his stone heart felt compassion for the first time.”
Wu Mu suddenly laughed, a sharp, echoing laugh that reverberated through the desolate Terrace.
His black eyes changed, a blood-red light filling them, brighter than the sun.
“Boss?! What’s wrong…”
The Supervisory Department Envoys watched in horror as their Minister, like a madman, suddenly rushed towards the abyss, leaping into the darkness, black wings ripping through his clothes, spreading wide as he plunged into the void.
“Boss!!”
Li Han stopped the Envoys, sighing. “Let him be.”
“Second Brother… Second Brother…” Dong Lan’s voice trembled. “What’s going on… Where’s Little Ten? Call him out, stop joking…”
Li Han didn’t speak, but pulled Dong Lan into a tight embrace, gently stroking his hair.
“Wuwuwu!!!” Dong Lan burst into tears. “Second Brother, I want Little Ten! Call him out! Call him out!”
“Wuwuwu… Second Brother, don’t joke with me.”
“Little Ten… I want Little Ten…”
As his cries echoed through the silent Terrace, a powerful gust of wind swirled around them. Wu Mu emerged from the abyss, his black wings spread wide, holding a small fragment of stone in his hand.
A charred, broken piece of stone, no bigger than a bean.
Wu Mu’s voice was hoarse. “Xue Changyi, I’m taking you home.”
“Little Ten~~”
“Little Ten, wake up!”
“Wake up, it’s your first day at the academy, you’ll be late!”
A bright, sunny morning, 7:00 AM.
Dong Lan skipped to Xue Changyi’s room, knocked lightly, then burst in, shouting, “Little Ten, wake up! If you don’t wake up, big brother will kiss you to death!”
“Mm…” The lump under the blanket stirred, then slowly unfurled like a blooming flower.
Beneath the blanket—was a small stone.
About two centimeters in size.
The stone rolled on the bed, trembling slightly.
Dong Lan stood by the bed, chuckling. “Don’t think I won’t kiss you just because you’ve turned into a stone. I’ll still kiss you until you’re soaking wet!”
The stone trembled again, and with a flash of light—
It transformed. From a two-centimeter stone into…
A young boy, about fifteen or sixteen years old.
The boy’s face was pale and translucent, his red lips vibrant against his fair skin, his features delicate and handsome. He had a perpetually cold and aloof expression, creating an aura of inapproachability.
A miniature version of Xue Changyi.
“Wow—” Dong Lan exclaimed dramatically. “My little brother is so cute! So cute, no matter how many times I see him~”
Xue Changyi: “…”
The young Xue Changyi rubbed his ears, a look of annoyance on his face. “Brother, you’re loud.”
“Wow~~~”
Dong Lan’s voice was even more exaggerated, his face beaming with happiness.
After the explosion at the Terrace of Forgetfulness, Wu Mu had retrieved a fragment of the spirit stone, and his older brothers had carefully nurtured it for many years.
The small fragment had finally regained its human form, but Xue Changyi, severely weakened, had lost all his memories.
The previous Xue Changyi only called Dong Lan “Old Seven,” never addressing him as “brother” in such a sweet, childish voice. It was the first time Dong Lan had heard it, and he was so overjoyed that he had been bouncing off the walls for days.
Click—
The door opened again, and Li Han entered, dressed and ready to leave. He smiled wryly. “Little Ten, time to wake up, you have school today. It’s the first day of the new semester at Jixia Academy, don’t be late.”
Xue Changyi asked, “Second Brother, are you going out?”
Li Han said gently, “Little Seven and I are going to the lab. There’s been some progress in the research on the encroaching death, we might be busy for a few days. I won’t be able to pick you up from school today.”
Xue Changyi, despite his youthful appearance, said maturely, “No need to pick me up, I can go to school by myself. I’m a grown-up now.”
Dong Lan squealed, “So cute! So cute!”
Li Han sighed, pulling Dong Lan’s hand. “Little Seven, let’s go.”
“Little Ten,” Dong Lan said, “Be careful, be safe on your way to school. Don’t talk to strangers, come straight home after school…”
“I know,” Xue Changyi replied.
Today was the first day of the new semester at Underworld High School, Jixia Academy.
Xue Changyi, a freshman, entered the magnificent school gates, his backpack slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes, look over there!”
Liu Bang sighed. “Ah Yu, why do you call me that?”
“Doesn’t matter!” Xiang Yu pointed ahead. “Look, is that a freshman? He looks just like Teacher Xue.”
“Where, where?!” Lü Bu squeezed in. “I want to see too!”
“Lü Bu!!!” Jiang Ziya, wielding the Divine Striking Whip, rushed towards them. “You brought a controlled weapon to school again!”
“Crap!” Lü Bu turned and ran. “I’ll be going now, see you later!”
“Stop! Lü Bu!”
“Your Fangtian Huaji is confiscated!”
Just as Xue Changyi entered the school gates, he saw two blurs of white smoke streak past him.
One of the blurs, Lü Bu, suddenly stopped and ran back, staring at Xue Changyi. “Hey, you look familiar!”
Xue Changyi: “… ” Was he being hit on?
“Lü Bu—” Jiang Ziya, the math teacher, was approaching menacingly.
Lü Bu shoved his Fangtian Huaji into Xue Changyi’s hands. “Hey, hold this for me, I’ll be back! I’ll be back!”
He then ran off, leading Jiang Ziya away.
Xue Changyi, now holding the Fangtian Huaji: “…”
“Excuse me!” Someone tapped his shoulder.
He turned around and saw a young boy, about ten years old, standing on tiptoe, trying to reach his shoulder.
“Wow! Big brother,” the boy exclaimed, “It really is Xue…”
He trailed off.
Xue Changyi asked, puzzled, “Do you know me?”
“I’m Cheng Jiao!” the boy said, puffing out his chest. “This is my brother, we’re both upperclassmen! Starting today, we’re your seniors!”
Ying Zheng glanced at the time. “The opening ceremony is about to start, let’s go.”
Cheng Jiao said enthusiastically, “Junior, I’ll take you to the Pangong building, this way!”
Xue Changyi: “…”
He was led by the “enthusiastic” brothers to the classroom, Class 9, Grade 1.
Class Nine was known as the experimental class, but there were also rumors that the former Class Nine was infamous for failing every exam, considered unlucky.
“Look at that freshman over there.”
“He’s so pretty.”
“Such fair skin… but he looks a bit cold, unapproachable. Should we go talk to him?”
Xue Changyi entered the classroom and sat down in a corner. Before anyone could approach him, the teacher entered.
A young teacher, dressed in a black suit, a black vest over a black and white shirt, and a tie, his appearance both restrained and undeniably handsome, his expression cold.
“Oh my god!! He’s so handsome!”
“I’ve never seen such a handsome teacher!”
“Is he our homeroom teacher? I heard he’s a PE teacher.”
“A PE teacher? A PE teacher as our homeroom teacher?”
“Don’t underestimate him, Teacher Wu is just teaching PE part-time, his real job is the youngest Director General of the Supervisory Department!”
“Class,” the young teacher stood at the podium, his impassive gaze sweeping across the room, finally resting on Xue Changyi.
His cold eyes softened, a hint of warmth in them.
He smiled faintly. “I’m your homeroom teacher, Wu Mu. You can call me Teacher Wu.”
“Teacher Wu!”
“Teacher Wu, you’re so young!”
“Teacher Wu, do you have a girlfriend? Are you married?”
Wu Mu didn’t speak, but casually raised his left hand, revealing a ring on his ring finger.
“Ah—” A chorus of disappointed sighs. “Teacher Wu is married?”
“Oh my god, married so young!”
“I guess I have no chance…”
Xue Changyi thought indifferently, How boring.
The first day of school went smoothly, listening to speeches, receiving textbooks. Xue Changyi packed his bag and left the school.
Beep—beep—
A black car pulled up beside him, the window rolling down. It was Wu Mu.
Wu Mu smiled. “Going home? I’m heading in the same direction.”
A puzzled look appeared in Xue Changyi’s cold eyes.
Wu Mu said, “You’re Li Han and Dong Lan’s younger brother, right? I’ve seen you before, when you were younger.”
Xue Changyi didn’t speak, but the puzzlement in his eyes disappeared.
Wu Mu continued, “I also live in that neighborhood, just moved in. Come on, I’ll give you a ride. Your bag looks heavy.”
Xue Changyi: “…”
He couldn’t refuse, the bag was heavy. So many textbooks for a freshman!
He pursed his lips, saying coldly, “Thank you, Teacher.”
He opened the car door and got in.
He pulled on the seatbelt, and as he was about to fasten it, he noticed the ring on Wu Mu’s left hand. Teacher Wu was married, so young, he wondered what his wife looked like.
“What’s wrong?” Wu Mu suddenly leaned closer, reaching for the seatbelt. “Is the seatbelt stuck? I’ll help you.”
Xue Changyi’s pale cheeks flushed slightly, his youthful face betraying his embarrassment. He leaned back against the seat, his hand instinctively pushing against Wu Mu’s chest. “No need, I can do it myself.”
Beneath his hand, he felt the firm lines of Wu Mu’s chest, slightly tense, even the steady beat of his heart.
Wu Mu chuckled softly. “Alright.”
He sat back as Xue Changyi fastened his seatbelt. “Sit tight, I’m driving.”
The car arrived at the apartment complex. Wu Mu lived in the next building.
“Thank you, Teacher,” Xue Changyi said as he got out of the car, his words few, but polite.
“You’re welcome,” Wu Mu said. “What time is school tomorrow? I’ll give you a ride.”
“No need!” Xue Changyi refused firmly, his face cold, as if eager to leave. He turned and ran into the building.
Wu Mu touched his cheek, murmuring to himself, “Was I too forward? Do I… not seem like a good teacher?”
Xue Changyi ran all the way home, forgetting to take the elevator.
“Little Ten, you’re back!” Dong Lan, wearing a cute bunny apron, greeted him. He couldn’t cook, but he was helping Li Han, who was preparing dinner.
“Wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon,” Li Han said.
“Little Ten? Little Ten?”
Xue Changyi, as if startled awake, realized he was home. “Oh, okay.”
Dong Lan came out of the kitchen, carrying a pot of soup. “Little Ten, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy about your first day of school? Did something happen? Tell big brother.”
Xue Changyi seemed distracted. After a long silence, he suddenly said, “Brother, I think… I like a teacher, but he’s married.”
“What!!!!” Dong Lan’s shriek almost shattered the soup pot.
Li Han said helplessly, “Little Seven, be careful, don’t spill the soup.”
Dong Lan ignored him. “What teacher?! A teacher? From your academy? Seducing a student on the first day of school, how shameless! I’ll report him! What’s his surname? His name?! I’ll report him to the Underworld Ministry of Education!”
Xue Changyi said calmly, “He’s our homeroom teacher, Teacher Wu.”
“Wu—” Dong Lan gritted his teeth. “Wu Mu?!”
Xue Changyi nodded. “Brother, you know Teacher Wu?”
Dong Lan jumped up and down, shouting, “Wu Mu!! That damned, shameless crow! My precious little brother isn’t even fully grown yet, and that crow is already preying on him! Three legs, he’s definitely not a good bird!”
