Death Knocks on Hell’s Door Chapter 75

Chapter 75 Practicing Calligraphy

Under Thanatos’ strong protest, Room 401 was restored to its original state, no longer resembling a cemetery.

Yanluo sighed with regret. “The coffin is actually quite large, enough for our joint burial.”

Thanatos quickly fled back to his room.

……What joint burial? It was only the first day of confirming their relationship, and he hadn’t even thought about sharing a bed with Yanluo yet.

Yanluo’s progress bar jumped too quickly, and Thanatos was struggling to keep up.

Watching the God of Death flee in a panic, Yanluo clicked his tongue softly, his expression inscrutable, giving off an air of someone in complete control. “So easily embarrassed.”

Those trembling eyelashes, even the fan in his hand couldn’t flutter so enticingly.

Yanluo maintained a calm expression for a few seconds, then, unable to contain his amusement any longer, he pulled out his phone, grinning as he prepared to show off.

Underworld Work group chat.

Yanluo: This king is no longer single.

The group was silent for a second.

Cui Jue: Congratulations, Your Majesty.

Zhong Kui: Congratulations, Your Majesty.

Wei Zheng: Congratulations, Your Majesty.

Lu Zhidao: Congratulations, Your Majesty.

……

Messages of congratulations flooded the chat.

Not one of them even asked who the lucky person was.

Who else could it be but the God of Death? Yesterday, King Yan had taken him out for a whole day of fun, even carefully preparing a surprise party for his birthday. With the mood set just right, how could things not fall into place?

Yanluo: I asked Little Reaper if I could pursue him.

Yanluo: Little Reaper said he likes me too, so there’s no need to pursue.

Yanluo: He said we can just be together right away.

Yanluo: I wanted to somersault a million miles right then and there to show my excitement, but I had to hold back. I needed to maintain the dignity of an Eastern god in front of him.

Yanluo: I modestly asked if I was his boyfriend.

Yanluo: He nodded!!! He said yes!!!!!!

Yanluo: I was so happy I decorated our love nest, but unfortunately, he didn’t seem to like it.

Yanluo: He’s really beautiful.

Yanluo: And he blushes so easily.

Yanluo: So explosively cute.

Yanluo: Mine.

All members: ……

They quietly watched as the chat was flooded with Yanluo’s messages, meticulously detailing the entire process of him and Thanatos confirming their relationship. Completely immersed in his joy, Yanluo rambled on, forgetting that there were actual gods still present in the chat.

It was clear that Yanluo was thrilled, just one step away from losing his mind.

He had even forgotten to maintain his authority in front of them, turning into a lovesick, scatterbrained youth.

The Four Great Judges felt a wave of pain. They had just endured the relentless displays of affection from Fan Wujiu, who had been constantly flaunting his love life with Xie Bian in the Proletarian Union group chat. These past two days had finally been peaceful, but Yanluo was starting all over again.

What did single immortals ever do wrong?

Meng Wan’s expression was complex, her face full of questions.

After she’d quit the fandom, the CP she’d once rooted for had become real.

This couldn’t be right! Hadn’t she warned the God of Death that Yanluo had once had a thing with the Jade Emperor? The God of Death actually didn’t care? How had this pure, innocent lamb still ended up being snatched back to the wolf’s den by the hypocritical and lecherous King Yan?

Where had things gone wrong?

Meng Wan didn’t know where things had gone wrong, but she soon realized she was in deep trouble.

Yanluo was happy, yes, but he hadn’t forgotten about the score to settle.

He sent Meng Wan a private message, informing her that her ten-year year-end bonus was canceled.

Granny Meng: ??? Your Majesty what wrong did this humble woman do?!

Yanluo: Think about what you said to Thanatos.

Meng Wan, unafraid of authority, stood her ground, ready to fight back.

Granny Meng: I don’t think Your Majesty should deceive the God of Death. If you’re together with him, you need to be honest and open, without hiding your past relationships. And you need to focus on him now. No more being fickle like before!

Yanluo: When have I ever been fickle?

Granny Meng: Just scroll through your chat history, you even ordered me to write fanfiction about you and the Four Judges!

Yanluo: ……

Yanluo: First of all, I have no relationship with the Jade Emperor beyond master and disciple, and we’re not even that anymore.

Granny Meng: But the rumors from the heaven……

Yanluo: Rumors end with the wise, and clearly, you’re not very wise.

Granny Meng: ……Well, the fanfiction part is true.”

Yanluo: I replaced their names with Thanatos.

Granny Meng: ……? But why bother using the Four Judges’ names in the first place?

Yanluo: To verify how Thanatos is different from them.

Yanluo: And as it turns out, Thanatos really is unique. Only when I replaced their names with his could I accept the same text.

Granny Meng: ……

The truth was actually like this.

His Majesty’s way of confirming his feelings was too hardcore.

Granny Meng: So, you only realized you liked the God of Death after reading my fanfiction, and the God of Death only agreed to your pursuit because of the rumors I spread? I’m the Old Man under the Moon here! You should be giving me a bonus, not canceling it!

Yanluo: Just because the outcome is good, does that mean your actions were right?

Meng Wan had nothing more to say.

Hmph, her boss was just stingy.

Even after becoming a lovesick fool, his stingy persona remained unshaken.

Thanatos returned to his room, curling up at the head of the bed, still feeling a sense of unreality.

When he nervously knocked on the door, he hadn’t even considered confessing, much less what happened later. Just taking off his black robe had already exhausted all his courage.

He hadn’t expected that, upon returning, his relationship with Yanluo would jump straight to being boyfriends.

It was too unbelievable.

Recalling his behavior from earlier, Thanatos lowered his gaze and bit his lip.

How embarrassing.

His face had been red all evening, his mind a chaotic mess, completely flustered and disoriented.

When it came to love, Yanluo was far more composed than he was.

Ding-dong—

The phone rang once, and the screen automatically lit up.

Thanatos looked down to see a message from the “Family of Death Seekers” group chat.

The “Family of Death Seekers” was the group he shared with the Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, the Four Great Judges, and Granny Meng. The group name was chosen by Fan Wujiu. Despite coming from different pantheons, they all worked in death-related fields, so they gave the group this friendly name.

Fan Wujiao believed this would bring warmth to the God of Death’s household.

At that moment, everyone was tagging him in the group: Congratulations on getting off singledom!!!

Cui Jue: Brother, not cool. You get into a relationship and don’t even tell us.

Lu Zhidao: Congrats, congrats! From now on, we should call him Queen Yan!

Thanatos: ……?

How did it jump straight to marriage?

The progress bar in the Eastern underworld was moving so quickly, from top to bottom.

Thanatos: How do you guys know?

He hadn’t even said anything yet.

And honestly, he was too embarrassed to say it.

Fan Wujiu sent a screenshot. Yanluo was going wild in the Underworld Work group chat.

Yanluo was far bolder than Thanatos, posting a long message detailing every little thing that had happened between him and the God of Death that night. Fan Wujiu had even taken a long screenshot specifically of it.

After Thanatos finished reading, his face was flushed red, and his mind was full of—

He’s really beautiful.

And he blushes so easily.

So explosively cute.

Mine.

Thanatos had thought Yanluo was calm, at least calmer than he was. He had assumed that Eastern gods were always so composed.

But it turned out that Yanluo had also been pretending to be reserved, forcing himself to act composed.

Thanatos pinched his earlobe and rubbed his cheek, trying to cool the flush spreading across his face.

Granny Meng: Is there anything else you’d like to add about these details?

Although it hurt to lose his ten-year year-end bonus, Meng Wan felt revived as soon as she thought about how everything was a misunderstanding. She had inadvertently facilitated the love between King Yan and the God of Death together.

She had played a part in getting her ship to sail! Could there be anything happier than this?

Thanatos: ……No.

Yanluo had already given so many details, even counting how many times Thanatos’ eyelashes fluttered when he was nervous.

Thanatos, not daring to look directly at Yanluo, had no idea that Yanluo had noticed even that.

Had Yanluo been watching him so carefully all night, his eyes never leaving him?

Right, he had been staring at his robe earlier, even asking if he was wearing anything underneath it.

Pervert. Rogue.

Thanatos gently lowered his eyes.

His soft lips curled up slightly.

But he was so happy.

The next morning, Thanatos woke up and instinctively reached for his black robe.

Just as he picked it up, he paused, staring at it for a moment before putting it back.

Since he had already taken it off, there was no point in putting it back on.

Thanatos stepped out of his room and saw Yanluo sitting in the living room, at the desk, holding the Judge’s Brush as he wrote in the Book of Life and Death.

This was Yanluo’s work, rewriting the tragic fates of those who had done great deeds, giving them a happy and fulfilling life. There weren’t many such people, but there were definitely not a few. A person’s life was like a thick book, with many parts that needed editing, and it couldn’t be completed in just one day or two. Yanluo always took some time each day to work.

In the past, Yanluo had worked in the underworld’s Yanluo Hall, but now, not wanting to be separated from the God of Death, he had moved his work to the apartment.

When Yanluo saw Thanatos emerge, he looked up. The little reaper wasn’t wearing the black robe anymore. With a smile, he said, “Come here.”

Thanatos walked over quietly and glanced at the words in the Book of Life and Death.

He didn’t recognize most of the characters, but he could tell that Yanluo’s handwriting was beautiful.

Thanatos had studied the Xinhua Dictionary and watched a lot of Eastern films to learn how to read and pronounce words. What he knew now was Simplified Chinese . As for traditional characters…… well, not only him, many Chinese people didn’t know them either.

Thanatos was curious about what Yanluo was writing, but he didn’t want to admit he couldn’t read the characters.

Yanluo, however, was very understanding. In the blink of an eye, the ancient Book of Life and Death transformed into a modern-style notebook, the calligraphy brush turning into a fountain pen. The words changed into elegant Simplified Chinese, making them readable for Thanatos.

“This way, it’ll be easier for you to read,” Yanluo said, not concerned about the so-called “heavenly secrets that must not be revealed.” He and the Heavenly Dao jointly wrote the destiny, and when it came to the little reaper, he didn’t follow too many formalities.

Now Thanatos could understand.

On a certain day in a certain year, a person was in a car accident, leaving them paralyzed from the waist down for life.

It was changed to: On a certain day in a certain year, a person encountered a car accident, sustaining only minor injuries, spending a few days in the hospital, and recovering safely.

A few changed words were enough to change a life.

After finishing this line, Yanluo dropped his pen and said, “Want me to teach you calligraphy? The set of writing tools I gave you earlier hasn’t been used yet.”

Thanatos hesitated. “Won’t I be interrupting your work?”

“No, it’s fine. The work isn’t urgent.”

The deadline for completing the work was very long. As long as it was corrected before any unfortunate events occured, it was fine. People could live for several decades, so there was no rush.

Right now, his new boyfriend was the most important thing.

Thanatos thought for a moment. “Alright.”

He sat down on the floor, next to Yanluo, watching him write.

The distance was very close. Without the barrier of the black robe, his elbow brushed against Yanluo’s arm.

But…… they were boyfriends now.

Being a little closer didn’t matter.

Thanatos forced his attention to shift to the paper in front of him.

Yanluo spread out a sheet of rice paper, picked up his pen, and elegantly wrote four large characters.

Thanatos looked down at the paper.

……what, what, what?

Of the four characters, Thanatos didn’t recognize three.

“What is this?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you once you’ve learned it,” Yanluo teased, keeping him in suspense.

Thanatos picked up the brush and started to write on a blank sheet of rice paper.

He had an excellent memory, so even though he didn’t know the characters, he could recall the strokes after seeing them once.

But when he actually picked up the brush, he found it wasn’t as easy as he’d expected.

He could learn using chopsticks just by watching how others did it. But he couldn’t use a calligraphy brush. Even after watching Yanluo hold the brush, his characters still came out crooked and horribly off-balance.

Yanluo, watching from the side, guided him gently. “Extend your thumb, press your index and middle fingers together……”

Thanatos listened to the explanation, his mind absorbing it, but his hand made no progress.

Seeing this, Yanluo moved a little closer, placing his hand over the young god’s, his voice soft as he chuckled. “I’ll teach you step by step, until you learn.”

Thanatos felt Yanluo’s fingers cover his, his back leaning against Yanluo’s chest. The low sound of Yanluo’s voice drifted into his ear.

Thanatos’ body stiffened slightly, feeling unsure and uncertain, not knowing how to begin.

But Yanluo was already gently pressing his hand, guiding the brush as the strokes flowed with strength and precision.

In the ancient, elegant room, the handsome young man in traditional Hanfu, his black hair flowing loosely, held the beautiful boy dressed in Greek attire adorned with silver. The scene was perfectly harmonious.

Yanluo, multitasking, continued to teach Thanatos how to write, yet his gaze would often unintentionally drift to the delicate curve of the little reaper’s collarbone.

The Greek attire was distinctive, one end fastened on Thanatos’ shoulder, the other passing under his armpit, leaving his shoulder and collarbone exposed. The garment had no sleeves, so his fair, slender arms were left uncovered, adorned only with silver armlets and bracelets.

Every inch of him was beautiful, even his fingers.

Thanatos had been in Yanluo’s arms for so long that he felt restless. He murmured softly, “I got it.”

“Already learned it after just one try?” Yanluo reluctantly released his hand. “Now, you do it.”

Thanatos took the brush again.

Thanatos was indeed a genius. After Yanluo taught him once, Thanatos quickly wrote something that resembled actual calligraphy. Although it still looked like the handwriting of an elementary school student, it was a significant improvement from his first attempt.

Thanatos practiced several sheets, making rapid progress. He had jumped from the first-grade level to sixth-grade!

Yanluo nodded in approval. “Great job.”

Thanatos turned his head. “So, what does that mean?”

Yanluo chuckled softly, leaning in to whisper it in his ear.

“……?” The little reaper’s ears immediately turned a deep shade of red. He stood up and left without a word.

“Not going to continue learning? Then we’ll pick it up tomorrow.” Yanluo called out, his voice clear.

Thanatos hurried his steps, and with a loud bang, he slammed the door shut, the sound echoing through the room.

“Oh? Got a temper now?” Yanluo raised an eyebrow, amused.

The little reaper, embarrassed and furious, locked himself away in his room.

Yanluo was quite pleased with the results. He took a photo of the work on the table and sent it to the group chat.

Yanluo: Little Reaper’s handwriting is cute, right?

All members: ……

If this had been a work report submitted by them, it would have been sent back for rewriting, along with a stern reprimand from His Majesty: What kind of chicken scratch is this. It’s an eyesore!

But the real issue wasn’t the handwriting. It was the content.

I love Yanluo.

I love Yanluo.

King Yan must have tricked the God of Death to write this, right!

If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))