Death Knocks on Hell’s Door Chapter 61

Chapter 61 Blessing

The black ball on the bed remained motionless for a long time. It wasn’t until a knock sounded at the door that Thanatos finally lifted his head.

Had Yanluo really come knocking?

Although Thanatos was the one who called him over, he was too embarrassed to see Yanluo now. He simply didn’t want to open the door.

Wait, the sticker—

Thanatos scrambled to unlock his phone, desperate to retract that cursed sticker. Earlier, he had been too busy drowning in shame that he forgot to destroy the evidence.

Now, just opening that chat window took every ounce of courage he had.

But when he finally mustered the nerve to press and hold the flirty sticker, a message popped up: Too late. More than two minutes have passed. Unable to recall.

Thanatos: “……”

Outside, Yanluo continued knocking.

Inside, the God of Death sat in a daze.

Seeing no response for a long while, Yanluo chuckled against the door. “Little Reaper, open the door. Don’t think you can just hide in there and stay quiet. I know you’re inside.”

He waited for a long time before the door finally cracked open, just enough to let a small gap appear. A food bag filled with desserts was pushed through the opening, held delicately by Thanatos’ hand through the fabric of his black robe, not a single inch of skin exposed.

The message was clear: Take it and leave. No need for a face-to-face meeting.

Yanluo found it amusing. He reached out at a leisurely pace, hooking his fingers around the bag. Just as Thanatos was about to let go, Yanluo’s fingers brushed against his, and in the next moment, he firmly grasped Thanatos’ entire wrist, his fingertips lightly rubbing against the pulse twice.

The God of Death had no pulse, yet Thanatos still went rigid as if Yanluo had seized his very lifeline. Even through the barrier of his robe, this kind of contact was far too much.

So thin. One hand was enough to encircle it.

Yanluo noted inappropriately as he tightened his grip.

Taking full advantage of the moment, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, smoothly shutting it behind him with his back. Only then did he release Thanatos, one finger at a time, until all that remained was the dessert bag dangling from his fingertips.

Thanatos immediately took a big step back, creating a one-meter distance. The hand Yanluo had touched was quickly tucked behind him, as if he were a startled bird ready to take flight.

“Didn’t you call me over?” Yanluo’s voice held an easy amusement as he gazed at the flustered little reaper. “Why so afraid to face me, baby?”

That endearment was said in a deep and teasing tone, echoing with the same flirtatious tone as the “come over, baby” sticker.

Thanatos went dead silent.

Thank the heavens for his robe. If not for its cover, Yanluo would’ve seen just how red the little reaper’s face had become.

Even without seeing his face, Yanluo could feel the little reaper’s panic and embarrassment.

It almost made him feel like a wicked uncle who enjoyed teasing and scaring kids.

He indeed had a bit of a mischievous streak. Thanatos was simply too cute. Anyone would be tempted to mess with him.

After a brief silence, Thanatos retreated to the bed, picked up his phone, and started typing.

Ding-dong—

Yanluo’s phone vibrated in his pocket, signaling a new message.

Thanatos: Misclick.

Yanluo raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. “Misclick? Twice?”

Thanatos lowered his head and continued typing slowly.

Thanatos: Text auto-converted to a sticker.

Honestly, Yanluo had already guessed as much on his way here.

With Thanatos’ personality, there was no way he would willingly send that kind of sticker.

After this scare, the little reaper probably wouldn’t dare use stickers as a way to brush off conversations anymore. From now on, he’d have no choice but to type properly.

That worked just fine for Yanluo.

“Little Reaper, I set up that social media account for you so we could chat when we’re not face-to-face. Not so you could keep messaging me online when we’re standing right in front of each other.”

Thanatos slowly set his phone down and looked up at Yanluo, looking a little at a loss.

Being alone with another god in such an intimate space had already pushed him to his limit.

Forcing him to speak on top of that? That was asking too much.

Yanluo knew better than to rush him. Social anxiety wasn’t something that could be changed overnight. So, with an easy “Good night,” he stepped back, giving Thanatos the space he needed.

There was a brief pause as Yanluo reached the door but didn’t leave right away. Instead, he lingered in the doorway, watching Thanatos as if waiting for something.

Thanatos was puzzled.

Yanluo: “You’re supposed to say it back. I told you good night, you haven’t said it to me yet.”

Thanatos: “……Good night.”

Only then did Yanluo leave, looking thoroughly satisfied.

The moment the door clicked shut, Thanatos’ tense body finally relaxed.

Lowering his gaze, he unconsciously wrapped his other hand around the wrist Yanluo had touched. His pulse still seemed to carry the lingering trace of that cool, ghostly touch.

Thanatos pressed his thumb lightly against his pulse.

The God of Death disliked physical contact. The sensation of being touched was both unfamiliar and unwelcome to him. Even when his twin brother, Hypnos, accidentally brushed against him, his instinct was to swat him away.

Yet just now, in that moment of shock, he hadn’t pulled away.

Maybe Yanluo’s grip had simply been too strong.

—

Meanwhile, back in his own room, Yanluo wasn’t resting either. He created a new group chat named “Yanluo Psychological Clinic” and promptly added Heibai Wuchang.

Xie Bian: ?

Fan Wujiu: ?

Yanluo: Forget about rent collection. I have a much more important mission for you both.

Xie Bian: Are we expanding into a new business again?

Fan Wujiu: Judging by the group name, are we opening a therapy center? Xiao Bai and I are not qualified for that.

Yanluo: If you two aren’t qualified, no one is. Don’t worry, you only have treat your colleague, Thanatos.

Yanluo briefly explained Thanatos’ situation. The Black and White Impermanence were both surprised. They knew the Western God of Death had recently moved into the apartment complex, but they had barely seen him. On the rare occasions they crossed paths in the stairwell, Thanatos never so much as glanced at them, let alone greeted them.

They had simply assumed he was naturally aloof.

They never would have guessed it was due to social anxiety.

……Somehow, that contrast made Thanatos even more endearing.

The three gods discussed the matter in the group chat for a while before settling on a plan. The Black and White Impermanence would take the initiative to chat with Thanatos online and gradually build familiarity. Once he was comfortable, they’d deepen the conversation, hoping to help him work through his struggles from the perspective of those who had been in similar shoes.

And if, in the end, they couldn’t fully resolve his inner turmoil? Well, at the very least, he’d gain two new friends in the East. The Greek underworld only had a handful of gods, and it was completely cut off from Olympus and the sea. Thanatos had no real friends in the West. But here, in the East, he could find warmth and genuine companionship.

To sweeten the deal, Yanluo promised that regardless of the outcome, they’d each receive a million underworld coins as a reward. If they actually succeeded, they would also be given a set of houses in the city center of a certain super-first-tier city. Although King Yan’s headquarters was in Qingzhou, the scope of the Yanluo Empire included all walks of life across the country.

Given how notoriously stingy Yanluo was, this level of generosity was practically unheard of.

—

Room 201.

Xie Bian stared at the chat screen. “Looks like His Majesty is really invested in the God of Death.”

“Invested?” Fan Wujiu snorted. “More like completely smitten.”

At that moment, Yanluo remained blissfully unaware that, in the eyes of his subordinates, he and Thanatos were already considered a fated couple. He simply found the little reaper cute, and seeing him all alone tugged at something in him. Since they lived under the same roof, it only felt natural to look after him.

Matters of the heart had never once crossed Yanluo’s mind. His former motto was “Love will only slows down the speed at which this king makes money.”

However, he had already spent an absurd amount of money on Thanatos without even realizing why.

Spending a fortune just to make someone smile? Yanluo hadn’t even seen what the little reaper looked like, yet here he was, scattering money around as if he was the God of Wealth.

But if it meant getting a cute reaction out of Thanatos, then it was worth it. He didn’t mind spending a little more.

This was the beginning of pity.

And perhaps, the origin of something more.

In his bedroom, Thanatos was holding his phone, his mind circling back to that teasing “baby” remark, making his ears burn.

He lit up the screen. The chat with Yanluo was still open. Since Yanluo had sent a few more messages afterward, the sticker had been pushed higher up in the conversation. It wasn’t the first thing he saw anymore, but it was still right there.

Since he couldn’t retract it, his next best option was to delete it.

But that would be pointless. Removing it from his side wouldn’t erase it from Yanluo’s.

Maybe if he sent two more messages, he could push it completely out of sight.

That way, this whole mess would be done with tonight. There was no way he’d let Yanluo see that sticker again the next time they talked and remember his moment of ultimate humiliation.

But what should he send?

Good night?

No, that wouldn’t work. He had already said it when they met just now. Sending it again would make it too obvious.

Thanatos thought for a moment and remembered the untouched birthday cake.

If he wasn’t mistaken, today was Yanluo’s birthday.

He hadn’t had the courage to say it in person, but sending a message online felt more manageable. Of course, coming from God of Death, a birthday wish often sounded more like a sinister curse.

But Yanluo was the King of Hell. Poison cancels out poison, so in this case, a God of Death’s blessing should still count as a proper one.

Thanatos: Happy birthday.

As soon as he sent it, the mortifying sticker moved up a little more. Just one more message, and it would be pushed completely out of sight.

But what else could he say?

Thanatos racked his brain but came up with nothing. In the end, he searched online: “Traditional Chinese birthday greetings.”

He learned Chinese in just three days. Thanks to his photographic memory and strong reading comprehension, he had memorized most common words and phrases. He had also picked up quite a few idioms with historical allusions.

However, he was still weak in areas like colloquial blessings. Phrases like “Good fortune as you wish” and “Peace and safety year after year” were still advanced vocabulary to him. Many words couldn’t be taken literally. He still had a lot more to learn.

Yanluo probably appreciated something like “May riches pour in” or “Wishing you great prosperity.” Unfortunately, Thanatos couldn’t yet tell the difference between these blessings. His search pulled up an overwhelming list of options, so he simply copied the first one, pasted it into the chat, and confidently added “Wishing you” at the beginning before hitting send.

This time, there was no embarrassing auto-conversion into a sticker. The greeting was a generic, all-purpose solution pulled from a universal search engine. It should be foolproof.

Yanluo took the desserts out of the bag and carefully arranged them on the table. Just as he picked up a cookie, ready to take a bite, his phone buzzed with a new message from Thanatos.

Thanatos: Wishing you a long life of a hundred years.

Yanluo: “……?”

He stared at the message in silence, then glanced at the neatly arranged desserts. He wondered if the little reaper really didn’t want to return the food to him, but was embarrassed to refuse, so he used this subtle way to express his dissatisfaction.

Yanluo was already tens of thousands of years old. In his eyes, this so-called blessing could only mean one thing—

Wishing you would drop dead immediately.

Yanluo: Are you cursing me?

Thanatos’ grip on his phone tightened.

Sure enough, no one liked receiving a blessing from the God of Death. No matter the intention, people always rejected it.

He pressed his lips together, feeling a mix of frustration and hurt.

Fine. Mortals avoiding me is one thing, but what does a King of Hell have to fear?

He had actually thought he’d made a good friend.

On the other side, Yanluo waited for a reply, but none came. Just as he was about to send another message, a red exclamation mark popped up on his screen.

He had been blocked.

Yanluo: “……”

……Maybe he should just take the desserts back to the little reaper.

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