Death Knocks on Hell’s Door Chapter 74

Chapter 74 Relationship

Thanatos slowly repeated, “Pure, yet so desirable?”

Yanluo: “……”

How did he let that slip?

He quickly tried to cover it up. “Pure, adorable, possessing the seven emotions and six desires, that’s exactly my type. Heaven has a rule that all immortals must be emotionless and detached, but wouldn’t that make life so boring?”

He wasn’t wrong. The God of Death empathized with all beings and could suffer for them. How could Yanluo not admire that? If Thanatos had been an Eastern god, Yanluo would have nominated him for the throne of the Heavenly Emperor without a second thought. What business did Zhang Bairen have being in that position?

Thanatos said nothing. Instead, he lowered his head and fiddled with his phone for a moment before turning the screen toward Yanluo.

Question: What does “pure yet desirable” mean?

Answer: It describes someone who appears pure but is also irresistibly seductive. If a man says this to you, he might be trying to pursue you. He sees your innocent looks but also finds you deeply tempting.

The silver-eyed youth stared at him without blinking, his gaze carrying an unmistakable message—

Don’t think I don’t understand Chinese.

Yanluo: “……”

The little reaper was truly a 5G surfing expert, skilled at navigating the internet.

Thanatos’ appearance was indeed cold and ethereal, holy and noble, making mortals too intimidated to look directly at him, let alone approach. But for Yanluo, that only made him all the more irresistible. It made him want to tease him, torment him, defile this untouchable god on the altar.

This desire hadn’t just arisen today after seeing the young god’s face. Even back when Thanatos had hidden himself away beneath a thick black robe, Yanluo had already been drawn to his purity and kindness. Despite seeing all there was to see in the world, he still remained innocent. He was quiet and timid, yet fearless and resolute. He embodied darkness, yet radiated light. Every contradiction only pulled Yanluo in deeper.

It wasn’t mere physical attraction.

And now, this bashful, pure-hearted little reaper was driving Yanluo mad with desire. The night Meng Wan had sent over that document, Yanluo had spent the entire night lost in erotic dreams, which did not fade until the next day. And at that time, he hadn’t even known what Thanatos looked like.

Of course, he was “innocent yet desirable.”

Truly omnipotent.

By all logic, a situation like this should have been incredibly awkward. But Yanluo was not one to be easily rattled. After a mere three seconds of silence, he readily admitted, “Yes. I want to pursue you.”

Eastern gods were often subtle and reserved, but they were never afraid to speak their hearts.

Besides, Yanluo had a feeling that he stood a chance.

With Thanatos’ habit of avoiding trouble and dodging difficult situations, if he had no interest whatsoever, he would have simply let the remark slide. He would have acted as though he hadn’t understood or pretended he hadn’t heard it.

The little reaper was easily flustered. Once, he had accidentally sent an embarrassingly suggestive sticker in their chat and had been so mortified that he couldn’t face Yanluo for days.

But this time, not only had he gone out of his way to look up the exact meaning, but even after realizing how ambiguous the phrase was, he had still chosen to show Yanluo the results.

It was obvious that he was waiting for a definite answer.

Perhaps even Thanatos himself did not realize that his unusual behavior was actually a subtle expression of longing.

Watching him try to act calm, but utterly failing to hide the deep flush on his face now that his black robe was no longer there to shield him, Yanluo suddenly understood something.

His intelligence had always been razor-sharp, and his ability to read people unmatched. In the past, Thanatos had kept himself hidden beneath his robes, making it impossible for Yanluo to gauge his emotions. But now, every flicker of feeling was laid bare across his face, shyness, surprise, joy, expectation……

And beneath it all, nervousness and fear.

All of these were reflected in those galaxy-like silver eyes, as if he believed he had concealed it well. But to someone as perceptive as Yanluo, it was as clear as day.

So Yanluo calmly said, “Yes, I want to pursue you.”

The little reaper only needed to take one step. Yanluo would take the remaining ninety-nine.

It didn’t matter who moved more or less. As long as neither of them stood frozen in place or retreat, then this, too, was a love that met halfway.

Everything Yanluo had done were simply to keep the little reaper from retreating and running away again.

And now, he had received an unexpected reward.

The moment he spoke those words, the surprise and joy in Thanatos’ eyes deepened, though now mixed with a dazed bewilderment. But the nervousness and fear had vanished entirely, replaced by a brightness that shone like a sky full of stars.

Yanluo gazed into those eyes, his lips curving into a slow smile, unable to contain his delight.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had fallen.

After using his phone to find the meaning of “pure yet desirable”, Thanatos stopped at the sentence “he might be trying to pursue you”, and his heart skipped a beat

……As for the fact that the God of Death didn’t have a heartbeat, that was no longer important. Ever since meeting Yanluo, his heart had never been normal.

Logic told him he should turn off his phone and pretend none of this had ever happened. Experiencing another round of excruciating embarrassment wouldn’t do either of them any good. Besides, online definitions weren’t always accurate, and there was no reason for him to dwell on it. Doing so would only make him look ridiculously self-absorbed.

But, against all reason, he still turned his phone toward Yanluo.

He was too shy to ask directly, so he used this as an opportunity to let Yanluo answer for him.

And Yanluo’s answer was an unexpected surprise.

He said, “Yes, I want to pursue you.”

Thanatos was stunned.

It took him a moment to process what had just happened. He hadn’t even considered what kind of response he might get, but Yanluo seemed to understand what Thanatos wanted more clearly than he did himself.

Yanluo…… wanted to pursue him?

This was moving too fast. Thanatos felt dizzy. Just that afternoon, he had only just come to terms with his feelings. After a whole afternoon of self-reflection, he had finally worked up the courage to remove his black robe and take that first step forward. But before he even had time to collect himself, Yanluo had leaped over the remaining ninety-nine steps and was standing right in front of him.

Even Hermes, the God of Speed, couldn’t be this fast.

When had Yanluo even started liking him? Hadn’t they just been friends yesterday?

Thanatos softly asked, “Is it because of my face?”

It was the only explanation that made sense.

After all, the only change between yesterday and now was that he had revealed his face.

So many cases of instant attraction began with physical appearance.

The couple living in Room 202 was a perfect example. If either of them had been a little uglier, neither Poseidon nor Venus would have ever gotten this far.

Yanluo laughed, his amusement obvious. He flicked his fan lightly against Thanatos’ forehead, but he didn’t put any force into it. “Am I such a superficial god in your eyes?”

Thanatos: “……”

Although the tap on his forehead didn’t hurt, it did feel a bit like being treated like a child.

But, Yanluo truly wasn’t superficial.

After all, Yanluo had even praised his skull as beautiful and cute.

Thinking about it that way, he realized he had wronged Yanluo.

It was time to apologize for his mistake. Thanatos spoke seriously, “I’m sorry.”

Yanluo laughed again, his heart nearly melting from the sight.

He was so well-behaved, it was almost too much.

“I didn’t want to tell you this so soon. I thought matters of the heart should take time. But, as expected, I couldn’t hold back,” Yanluo said slowly. “Wasn’t my intention obvious enough yesterday? I wanted to bless you, to share the other half of my life with you. That means I want to care for you for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, it seems you didn’t understand.”

Thanatos blinked, his eyes widening slightly.

So, that was really what it meant?

It wasn’t that he hadn’t understood. He just didn’t dare to believe it.

“But,” Thanatos said softly, “You’ve never even seen me.”

Before last night, Yanluo hadn’t even seen his skull. Thanatos had never taken off his black robe, and even spoke very little. Yanluo already liked him?

Had he fallen for someone whose face he couldn’t even see?

That was a bit too much……

After questioning Yanluo’s taste in music, Thanatos now found himself doubting his aesthetic sense as well.

“What does that matter?” Yanluo said, his tone light. “Do you think covering your body with a black robe can hide the light of your soul?”

Yanluo was a seasoned God of Destiny, effortlessly spinning romantic lines.

Too bad Thanatos was completely clueless when it came to romance. “I don’t have a soul.”

Only bones.

Yanluo: “……As long as you understand, that’s enough.”

Thanatos: “I don’t understand.”

He still couldn’t figure out why Yanluo liked him.

“Didn’t I just tell you the story of the Jade Emperor? I don’t like gods who lose their humanity,” Yanluo explained patiently. “After hearing the story, you should understand just how lovable you are.”

Thanatos corrected him. “I’m not lovable.”

Yanluo readily agreed. “But you are lovable to me.”

Thanatos fell silent, his face flushing again.

“So, Little Reaper, Have you answered me yet? ” Yanluo teased with a grin, “Will you allow me pursue you?”

Thanatos was so shy that words failed him. “No, no—”

“Not allowed?” Yanluo feigned disappointment, his expression falling.

“No need to pursue,” Thanatos quickly corrected.

Yanluo looked even more disappointed. “Not even a chance?”

“It’s not that,” the silver-haired youth said nervously. “I like you too. So, there’s no need to pursue. We can…… be together right away.”

After saying those few words, Thanatos quickly covered his face, barely daring to look at Yanluo.

If he did, he would see the victorious smile in Yanluo’s eyes.

Thanatos lowered his gaze to his feet, too flustered to turn his head.

The Greek gods had no sense of propriety. They could skip over the whole “confirming the relationship” step and jump straight into bed. Thanatos had no idea how to handle a romance.

He’d heard that Eastern gods were supposed to be more reserved. Had he been too forward? Agreeing so quickly made it seem like he was desperate.

Thanatos felt a twinge of regret in his chest.

Yanluo took a moment to enjoy how flushed and embarrassed the little reaper looked before he smiled and asked, “So, does that mean I’m your boyfriend now?”

“……” Thanatos’ voice was barely audible. “I guess.”

“You’re my first love,” Yanluo said seriously, stressing each word. “Anything that Meng Wan said about exes is pure gossip. Don’t take it to heart.”

Thanatos was momentarily stunned by the words “first love,” his mind spinning. He dazedly replied, “Okay.”

Yanluo’s smile instantly turned cold, a hint of menace creeping into his voice. “So it really was Meng Wan.”

Thanatos snapped back to reality at once.

“……”

Thanatos hadn’t meant to sell Meng Wan out.

He whispered an apology in his heart.

“Are you going to punish her?” Thanatos asked.

After all, it was he who had asked Meng Wan in the first place. She wasn’t the one who spread the gossip. She had simply passed on the rumor as if it were the truth, answering his questions. If she were punished because of this, Thanatos would feel deeply guilty.

“Of course not,” Yanluo said, his smile returning to its friendly warmth. “She actually helped bring us together. I’m going to reward her.”

He would reward her by canceling ten years’ worth of year-end bonuses.

The little reaper, still not fully fluent in Chinese, didn’t realize that sometimes “reward” and “punish” could mean the same thing.

Hearing that Meng Wan would not be in trouble, Thanatos let out a sigh of relief.

But Yanluo’s next question made his heart leap again.

“So, little reaper, what’s with the skulls in the living room?” Yanluo asked casually, as if it were no big deal. “When I walked in tonight, it gave me quite a shock.”

Thanatos didn’t think Yanluo could actually be scared of skulls.

Thanatos thought for a moment, then calmly said, “That’s just an element of Gothic architecture.”

He was speaking nonsense, counting on the fact that Yanluo wouldn’t know any better.

“They’re very pretty and cute, right?”

It wasn’t because he was jealous. He really did love this style of décor.

Thanatos had successfully convinced himself.

Yanluo seemed to understand now.

The little reaper was a skeleton, so it was only natural that he would like skulls. Yanluo should respect Thanatos’ preferences.

“I wasn’t considerate,” Yanluo sighed.

Thanatos blinked slowly, not saying a word.

Not considerate about what?

“This unit was only occupied by me before. So I decorated it according to my own tastes, in the style of traditional Chinese décor. I didn’t consider your preferences.”

Thanatos: “I’m just a tenant. You don’t need to consider me……” Besides, the Chinese style was grand and stunning.

“But now you’re my boyfriend,” Yanluo said firmly. “I should take your preferences into account. I’ll change the décor to Gothic style instead.”

Yanluo’s skillful hands moved swiftly. In an instant, the entire Room 401 was transformed. The traditional, elegant home had become a cemetery.

The ornate wooden chair that Thanatos had been sitting on instantly morphed into a seat made of white bones.

Thanatos: “……”

This didn’t look like Gothic style. It looked like the homeowner had gone mad.

The Chinese-style cabopy bed was really quite nice.

He was the God of Death, not a vampire. He didn’t want to sleep in a coffin.

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