A rooftop restaurant terrace in Haigu City.
It was midnight and the restaurant had already closed. The only person left on the huge terrace was Qi Xin, who was dressed in old-fashioned clothes.
She pulled up a random chair and sat down, tapping the edge of the dining table with her fingers. In the middle of the table was a stylish mirror vase, the curve of which made her facial features look a little funny.
The distorted facial features spoke first, emitting a gentle sound that humans could not hear.
"The enemy has been badly hurt," the voice said. "It would have been fine if it had just randomly destroyed its shell, but this time the enemy has injured its true body in its homeland."
"How badly injured?" Qi Xin asked casually.
"Death sleep."
"Then it's useless to you... He's just a new guy, and you only dare to give him the job of guard dog, right?"
The distorted image did not answer.
Yin Ren's scattered thoughts came together, and he became more and more clear-headed. He squeezed his body desperately, trying to regain his human form.
Even in his most outrageous and hopeless imagination, Zhong Chengshuo was not a normal human being, and should not... should not behave like this. He had lived for thousands of years and had never seen such a "thing".
Although he couldn't figure out why, the fact was before his eyes - his lover was still alive for some reason.
The wreckage was stirred by the whirlpool, leaving behind circles of strangely shaped ruins. In the center of the ruins, black hair covered the ground. Yin Ren changed his attack, and the seals on the wall moved and climbed onto his skin. Soon, a simple red robe took shape.
"It has the most abundant food. Even if it is dying and sleeping, it will slowly recover from its serious injuries over time. The three of us can do the rest."
Yin Ren acted decisively and used one healing technique after another on the corpse. Unfortunately, even the smallest wound could not be healed.
"Let me ask it another way." Qi Xin took out a pair of chopsticks from the restaurant's spare box and played with them lightly between his fingers. "It's a waste now. Do you still want to protect it?"
Without a human form, he has no five senses. The only thing he has left in his current form is touch, and a new and strange "perception". These perceptions are too weak, and he must confirm it with his own eyes.
"Zhong Cheng said!" Yin Ren was at a loss. He tightly grasped the corpse's hand, not daring to move any more, fearing that he would destroy Zhong Cheng's inexplicable vitality. "Zhong Cheng said..."
"Well."
The sea of wings gradually formed a vortex, and the translucent black wings all rushed to the center of the vortex. They almost disappeared into thin air, and a human figure gradually appeared in the vortex.
Is this an illusion? Yin Ren thought nervously.
This thought was like a spark that suddenly broke through the thick darkness. As long as there was a little light, he knew which direction to go.
"Sure," she said. "Whatever I want to do."
Qi Xin paused, and said in a neutral tone, "'Companions'? Now I know why the enemy respects you so much. You two are cut from the same cloth, and your human odor is offensive."
"We are companions after all. There is no need to be so drastic in doing some things."
Vibration, yes, vibration.
There is no reason for the enemy to reserve it specifically for Chidui Zhong Chengshuo.
They can also communicate.
Yin Ren quickly brought up the input interface.
The image on the vase returned to normal at some point, and her voice drifted across the deserted terrace.
She threw the two chopsticks away, and they were stuck straight on the table.
A long-haired person stumbled out and quickly brought back the dog's stuff that had been pretending to be dead for a long time. The cell phone was stimulated by something and even the buzzing notification sound stopped, shaking like sieve bran.
The tone on the other side was still gentle, but Qi Xin could sense the warning in it.
Could it be that Zhong Cheng said he couldn't hear? Was this an evil thing? Yin Ren couldn't believe it.
Just when he was at his wits' end, the corpse's hand moved again. Zhong Cheng raised his injured arm with great difficulty, and his fingertips lightly touched Yin Ren's throat.
Zhong Cheng said that there was no evil spirit or power in the body, and it was no different from an ordinary mortal corpse. Could it be that the scene of the corpse moving just now was just his excessive grief and his perception was wrong
Yin Ren stretched out his cold hand and gently stroked Zhong Chengshuo's hand - there seemed to be something in the palm of that hand, and his touch was particularly clear.
Zhong Cheng said that it was a scientific faction and it was impossible for it to turn into an evil creature after death.
The headless corpse's stiff fingertips moved and gently grasped Yin Ren's hand. Then, no matter how Yin Ren called out, he did not take the next step.
The corpse lay in Yin Ren's arms, still hugging the wings at the end of its long hair. The various scars on its body were still there, but its posture was a little more relaxed.
Yin Ren was still paralyzed in the same place - considering that the ocean of wings was truly paralyzed, this state could not be considered wrong.
"Qiu Fang's body is stuck between the gap and his hometown. He is seriously injured and unconscious, and he can't move." Qi Xin said meaningfully, "It must be very painful. It's really unbearable to watch... I have a good idea to kill two birds with one stone."
Yin Ren's eyes felt hot.
But Zhong Cheng said he is very likely still alive.
Even in such an absurd state, Zhong Cheng said he was not affected by the spell.
Qi Xin shook his head, stood up, and looked in the direction of Haigu City People's Hospital.
He had to see it for himself.
It's not an illusion, it's not a hallucination.
The voice did not respond: "You go and deal with the things that hurt the enemy. I know you don't like to listen to my orders... But you seem to know something about this matter. Give me the answer as soon as possible."
The voice was gentle and soft.
Zhong Cheng's hand was clenched, and Yin Ren pried it open without much effort. A round little hamster fell out of his hand, and in the darkness, the words "Thousands of gold into the treasury" were particularly clear.
Just as he expected, as soon as he got the phone, Zhong Cheng said he could type each word quickly as if he could see it.
[Are you okay?]
Yin Ren stroked Zhong Chengshuo's arm and said, "Not good."
Zhong Cheng was shocked: [Is Haigu City still there? ]
Yin Ren: “…”
Very good, this familiar train of thought undoubtedly belongs to the Zhong Chengshuo he is familiar with.
"Still." Yin Ren replied weakly, "Aunt Tao was killed by a sniper, and the others were just injured. Apart from these, the outside world is relatively stable. The Fu family knows that I am Zhong Yi, an evil creature. But your identity as King Yan and my identity as a fierce demon have not been exposed. Is there anything else you want to ask?" As he spoke, Yin Ren gently exerted force and hugged the person to his chest. Zhong Cheng said that he was much lighter than before without a head and broken limbs.
He hugged each other quietly, as if he was hugging a fragile soap bubble.
[In fairness, it's your turn to ask questions.] Zhong Cheng said while typing quickly. He didn't wait for Yin Ren to reply, and pressed his fingertips on Yin Ren's throat again.
Yin Ren took a deep breath, and the ends of his black hair fluttered restlessly on the ground.
"Who are you?" Yin Ren said slowly and clearly, trying to suppress the trembling in his voice, "How can I treat you?"
After confirming that Zhong Chengshuo was alive, he was terrified by his condition. With his body so damaged, Yin Ren was not even sure how long Zhong Chengshuo's "life" could last.
[I don’t know.] For a moment, Zhong Cheng said that he seemed to have turned into a dog. [Now it seems that, strictly speaking, I should not be considered a human being.]
Yin Ren was silent.
Yin Ren stared at the corpse in his arms, stroking the body's back which had been beaten into a sieve. He wanted to think deeply about this terrible confession, but his heart was filled with relief, drowning out all his doubts.
Seeing that Yin Ren didn't answer for a long time, Zhong Cheng hesitated for a moment.
[Are you okay?] He took back his hand from Yin Ren's throat and hit him again.
Yin Ren was stunned.
"Better," he answered matter-of-factly.
Next, a pair of cold, deformed hands touched Yin Ren's cheeks. Scarred fingers pressed on Yin Ren's lips, caressing them gently, like a cool kiss.
[But I’m not good.] After a moment, Zhong Cheng said and took his hands back.
[I'm afraid that you'll get angry with me, reveal your true identity, and both you and Haigu City will suffer.]
[I'm afraid you'll soon stop being angry and forget about me. And I can only stay in the depths of the morgue and think about it forever.]
On the pale mobile phone screen, words jumped rapidly.
[I was scared when I was separated from you.] The corpse concluded.
Yin Ren didn't know how to react for a moment. This was the first time that Zhong Chengshuo expressed the emotion of "fear". He was like a patient who was eager to see a doctor, and his description was frank and straightforward.
"I thought you would ask about the fight just now, the opponent just now..." Yin Ren murmured after a long time.
[I'm not done being scared yet.] In the gap between hugs, Zhong Cheng said that typing was difficult, [Let's talk about it after I'm done being scared. We still have a lot of time to communicate.]
In the midst of great sorrow and joy, Yin Ren didn't know how to react. When he realized the movement of his mouth, he had already laughed out loud. Zhong Cheng said he thought he was trembling and quickly touched him.
It was not until the other's fingers frantically wiped across his cheeks that Yin Ren noticed the tears on his face. He did not choke, but the liquid kept flowing. They dripped onto Zhong Chengshuo's remains, and soon a patch of water was painted on the cold skin.
Zhong Cheng said that he never makes arbitrary assumptions and everything he says must be supported by solid facts.
He just said that they still have a lot of time to communicate.
Zhong Cheng said he was frightened by those warm tears. He hugged the wings around him tightly and flapped them lightly in a panic, his movements were extremely awkward. Yin Ren found it funny again. He wiped away his tears twice and tried to pretend that nothing happened.
Zhong Cheng said that he seems to be particularly easily "scared" now.
"What are you afraid of?" He cleared his throat and held down Zhong Cheng's claws that were flapping around.
[I’m afraid you’ll know I’m not human and start to be wary of me.] Zhong Cheng said that he had typed a lot faster, [Are you unhappy? I can’t see now, so I can’t tell.]
“I’m really unhappy.”
Yin Ren quickly gathered his hair and restored a large group of wings around him, making Zhong Cheng feel like he was "immersed" in it.
"When you recover, you'll have to treat me to a lifetime of barbecue buffets to make it up to me."
But can Zhong Chengshuo recover? Yin Ren thought uncertainly. He still had Mr. Qiu's body on him, so his evil power must have exceeded the limit. He didn't know if Zhong Chengshuo would be affected.
Feeling the warmth of the wings, Zhong Cheng said he buried himself inside. Although there was no head, he was serious in every move.
[Yin Ren, I don't know why I haven't died yet. I didn't mean to make you worry.]
Zhong Cheng explained sincerely.
Yin Ren: “…” I really thought he was unhappy!
He sighed, leaned down, and kissed the sore wound on Zhong Chengshuo's chest. That should have been the location of his heart.
"I repeated, I was so happy that I didn't know what to do."
Yin Ren sniffed and raised his voice deliberately.
"When you recover, we will continue to eat for the rest of our lives."
This time Zhong Cheng said there was no response. His hand stayed near Yin Ren's neck, trembling slightly. Yin Ren was shocked and instantly covered in cold sweat.
"Zhong Cheng said, are you okay? Zhong Cheng said—"
[But I don’t know how to grow a head.] Zhong Cheng finally freed his hands and slowly typed a line of words, [Yin Ren, what should I do?]
Yin Ren's wings slowly dropped down, he recovered his breath and licked his cracked lips: "It's okay, I'll secretly take you out when the time comes. There will always be a way out..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly realized something.
Ten minutes ago, he seemed to have asked Huang Liang to give Fu Xingchuan a message, saying that he wanted to seal himself.
His attention had been on Zhong Chengshuo, and he only realized now that the fire dragon that Fu Xingchuan had used to maintain the gap had long disappeared. It was obvious that he had received Huang Liang's message, and the gap had closed completely. With Fu Xingchuan's means, in order to cover up Yin Ren's situation, he must have said that he "died in the gap."
And the fact that Zhong Chengshuo is not a human being, before he figured out Zhong Chengshuo's condition, he must not reveal it to Shi'an. For the sake of safety, he can't openly regret it on the spot and bring Zhong Chengshuo back to the world.
It seems like I have also "died"
Not to mention providing a barbecue buffet and helping with treatment, how they could leave without being noticed was a fatal problem.
In the narrow transition space, Yin Ren hugged Zhong Chengshuo in a daze, his mind going blank.
In the entire dark transition space, only the remains of Mr. Qiu were left stuck in mid-air.
Just as Yin Ren was staring at the air in a daze, the remains moved slightly.
(End of this chapter)