Chapter 21.1 Plucking Flower
Xie Bian had used his soul-binding chain to take Fan Wujiu away, leaving the group of demons in a state of disarray, their eyes wide in shock.
After a long pause, one of the demons finally spoke, breaking the silence. “What did you all just see?”
“We’re not blind. Seventh Master just took Eighth Master away, that’s all.”
“Seventh Master even said that only he could capture Eighth Master’s soul.”
“Does that mean we don’t need to pay the rent anymore?”
“You’re new here, aren’t you? Of course, you still have to transfer the rent yourself! We’ve been stalling only because we want Seventh and Eighth Masters to personally come collect it. The landlord here is King Yan, who dares to skip out on paying rent?”
“That’s not the point. Didn’t you hear what Seventh Master said when he first arrived? He mentioned that Eighth Master had rejected him because he prefers our style. What does that mean? It means Seventh Master confessed to Eighth Master!”
“Watson has spotted the blind spot! These two famous brothers from China actually have a bit of a thing for each other? Who would have thought that the usually quiet Seventh Master was the one who made the first move!”
“This pair has obviously got something going on. The only surprise is that Seventh Master is the one who took the initiative.”
“I had a feeling something was off between them. No normal friends are as clingy as they are.”
“But Eighth Master rejected him, didn’t he? If even someone as beautiful as Seventh Master can be turned down by Eighth Master, then it makes sense that Eighth Master wouldn’t be interested in us. Suddenly, everything seems balanced again.”
“Eighth Master must be a die-hard straight man, otherwise, how could he have rejected Seventh Master?”
“Even a die-hard straight man wouldn’t be able to reject Seventh Master. I’m a straight man, and if Seventh Master confessed to me, I’d be bent on the spot!”
A little demon offered a new perspective. “Maybe Eighth Master just…. can’t do it?”
“……That actually seems like the only explanation that makes sense.”
“Case solved. Eighth Master can’t do it.”
“Eighth Master can’t do it +1.”
“Eighth Master can’t do it, +10086.”
The demons chattered away, gossiping, and unanimously concluded that Fan Wujiu was incapable.
Yanluo Apartments, Room 201.
Xie Bian tugged on the soul-binding chain and directly pulled Fan Wujiu into his bedroom, throwing him onto the bed.
Fan Wujiu landed on the soft bedding, barely managing to prop himself up. He looked at his right wrist, which was caught in the soul-binding chain, and helplessly sighed. “Xiao Bai, can you untie the chain now?”
The soul-binding chain was a divine artifact. Unless the owner untied it themselves, the one caught in its grip could never break free. This chain belonged to Xie Bian, so Fan Wujiu had no way of freeing himself.
“I won’t untie it,” Xie Bian said calmly. “You’re mine.”
Fan Wujiu went along with him. “Right, right, I’m yours. Even if you untie it, I’m still yours. That doesn’t contradict anything.”
Xie Bian didn’t believe him. “If I untie it, you’ll run.”
Fan Wujiu raised his hand in a solemn vow. “I won’t.”
Xie Bian clearly didn’t take his words seriously. He knelt in front of him, lifting his chin and ordering, “Hold me.”
“Huh?” Fan Wujiu was stunned, but when he saw the cold look in Xie Bian’s eyes, there was no time to think. He carefully wrapped his arms around him.
Xie Bian closed his eyes and leaned against Fan Wujiu’s chest, his posture one of quiet affection.
Fan Wujiu felt a pang of tenderness in his heart and gently stroked Xie Bian’s long hair. “Xiao Bai, let’s not quarrel, alright?”
Xie Bian ignored his words and opened his eyes. “Kiss me.”
Fan Wujiu froze, instinctively wanting to refuse. But when his gaze met Xie Bian’s eyes, filled with suppressed emotions, the refusal got caught in his throat.
Deep down, he longed for the kiss too. Why should he refuse?
It wasn’t as if this had never happened before. The first time was always awkward, but once you got used to it, why pretend to be a saint?
Fan Wujiu swallowed hard, lowered his head, and closed his eyes, giving Xie Bian a reassuring kiss.
Xie Bian quickly responded. Fan Wujiu cupped the back of his head, his actions gradually losing control. What started as a gentle gesture grew into a greedy demand, the kiss becoming deeper and more intense.
Xie Bian, breathing softly, leaned against his chest and murmured, “Take me.”
Fan Wujiu: “!!!”
He snapped back to his senses in an instant and pushed Xie Bian away again. “No, Xiao Bai, we can’t do this.”
That was his principle, his bottom line. No matter how many times, no meant no.
Xie Bian looked at him calmly. “I know, you like the ones who take the initiative. The little demons in the neighborhood are very enthusiastic.”
Fan Wujiu was at a loss for words. “This has nothing to do with them. I’m not playing hard to get……”
Xie Bian’s fingers tugged at his belt, and his loose outer robe slipped off, followed by his inner garment. His long, dark hair cascaded down his shoulders, covering his fair back.
Xie Bian lowered his gaze, his delicate features clouded with an unreadable expression.
Seeing this, Fan Wujiu quickly got out of bed, trying to escape, but Xie Bian tugged at the soul-capturing chain and pulled him back.
“I knew you’d try to run.” Xie Bian pushed him down onto the bed, straddling his waist. As he leaned forward, his ink-black hair brushed against his snow-white neck, a few strands falling onto Fan Wujiu’s face. “I’ve been too reserved in the past. If I’d known you liked it wild, I wouldn’t have held back.”
Fan Wujiu looked at him as though he’d seen a ghost.
Had Xiao Bai been possessed by some seductive spirit?!
“If you don’t want to move, that’s fine,” Xie Bian said leisurely, “I can take care of it myself.”
Fan Wujiu was already stunned. The shock Xie Bian had given him today was overwhelming, and he was struggling to keep up.
“Besides, you’re not completely unresponsive, which makes things easier.” Xie Bian’s gaze dropped lower, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. “I thought you were a saint.”
As he spoke, Xie Bian began unbuckling Fan Wujiu’s belt.
Fan Wujiu sensed danger and tried to stop him. “Xiao Bai, stop. You don’t need to do this…… you’ll regret it.”
Xie Bian ignored him completely.
In a moment of desperation, Fan Wujiu blurted out the truth, “Xiao Bai, you only love me because you’ve been struck by Cupid’s golden arrow. You don’t really like me. We can’t do this!”
Xie Bian paused. “Cupid’s golden arrow?”
Fan Wujiu gave up on struggling, a bitter smile spreading across his face. “Yes, you’ve been hit by Cupid’s golden arrow, so you think you like me.”
Once the secret was out, it felt like a weight had been lifted. Fan Wujiu decided to spill it all at once. “I really do love you, I wasn’t lying. I’ve loved you for a thousand years. I have selfish motives, that’s why I never told you the truth before. I took advantage of this situation to pretend to be your boyfriend, all to satisfy my own desires. This identity was already stolen, and I can’t truly…… truly take advantage of you.”
He didn’t want to hide it any longer. Even if the golden arrow’s effect wore off and Lao Bai found out his true feelings, he no longer cared. He wanted to lay everything bare, to reveal the despicable, opportunistic Fan Wujiu who had fallen in love with his own brother, completely and openly, to Xie Bian.
What if they couldn’t be brothers anymore? With this thought in mind, he didn’t want to deceive himself any longer.
Xie Bian studied him for a long moment before suddenly laughing. “Every time you refuse to sleep with me, you always have a pile of excuses. This time, you’ve even made up a story to comfort me. You don’t need to put so much weight on our brotherhood. If you don’t like me, just say it directly. Why bother finding so many excuses to spare my feelings? If you’d just make it clear all at once, I’d give up. It’s your indecisiveness that hurts the most.”
A person struck by Cupid’s golden arrow wouldn’t remember or believe that their feelings were caused by the arrow. They would only see the other as their destined true love. The power of love could make a person lose their senses, and Xie Bian was currently in a state of lowered intelligence.
No matter how they explained it now, it was like a chicken talking to a duck. Their minds were completely out of sync.
Fan Wujiu was on the verge of despair.
“I know you’d rather make up stories than have me,” Xie Bian said, pulling the soul-binding chain back. He smiled bitterly.
“This is the third time you’ve rejected me. I’ve had enough. I don’t want to see you right now,” he muttered. “Get out.”
Fan Wujiu tried to explain. “Xiao Bai, I’m not making up stories—”
However, a gust of wind swept through, and with a force of divine power, Fan Wujiu was pushed out of the room. The door to the bedroom slammed shut behind him. Xie Bian had even set up a soundproof barrier, clearly not wanting to hear a single sound from Fan Wujiu.
Fan Wujiu: “……”
How had things ended up like this?
He needed to go outside, get some fresh air, and calm down.
The desolate night outside seemed to mirror his own bleak life in that moment.
Late at night, Fan Wujiu wandered aimlessly along the road, not sure where to go.
Had he done something wrong? Fan Wujiu asked himself. He hadn’t done anything wrong by not touching Xie Bian when he was not in his right mind.
But Xie Bian was so upset now, and the misunderstanding between them only seemed to grow larger.
What a mess.
As he walked, he found himself standing outside a hotel.
He paused, gazing up at the “Yanluo Hotel” sign above, before stepping inside.
In the past, the underworld had four great judges — Wei Zheng, who oversaw rewards for good deeds; Zhong Kui, who punished evil; Lu Zhidao, who investigated; and Cui Jue, who managed the laws of the afterlife. There were also the soul-capturing impermanence, the soup-selling Granny Meng, and the ox-headed and horse-faced guards. As times changed, the underworld’s reincarnation system became fully automated, and the ghost officers took on new roles. The Black and White Impermanence now collected rent, Granny Meng ran a bar, Ox-Head and Horse-Face worked as security guards, and the Four Judges were assigned by King Yan to manage hotels, inns, and restaurants.
The manager of Yanluo Hotel was none other than Fan Wujiu’s old friend, Cui Jue.
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