Chapter 28: The King of Hell’s Wedding (5)
The boiling oil truly burned the soul—there was no exaggeration.
Jian Yuntai didn’t suffer a single physical injury, yet his entire body throbbed with pain. Fortunately, he had long since accustomed himself to enduring pain; fifteen minutes of soul-burning agony was something he could bear.
Besides, compared to the gnawing, constant hunger he often felt, this soul-scalding pain barely registered.
When the fifteen minutes ended, the lid of the cauldron was finally lifted. Players leapt out like carp jumping over the Dragon Gate, one after another, desperate not to spend another second inside.
Everyone grimaced and gasped in pain.
By the time they were back on the plank bridge, their expressions had dulled into something almost vacant.
They stared blankly at the boards beneath their feet. This was it!
At the bridgehead by the large cauldron, players slumped in scattered clusters, looking like salted fish whose dreams had been completely crushed.
Team Six saw this and their fear of the cauldron below multiplied. They encouraged each other: “We led by a lot in the first round. As long as we don’t make any major mistakes, we should keep winning. Let’s go, everyone!”
“Yeah!!!”
The mood in Team Six surged. Confidence was high.
※※
Inside Media Building A, the staff watched the projection on the wall, growing increasingly anxious.
For days, they had been publishing stories praising Jian Yuntai—how brilliant and capable he was. But after entering the instance, “miserable” didn’t even begin to cover it.
Spitting blood, falling into boiling oil…
Sure, other streamers faced hardships too, but Jian Yuntai was supposed to be molded into a “prodigy” in their media narrative. Now, that image had been thoroughly shattered.
“Sigh… the rival media keeps trashing Jian Yuntai. They’re always against us.” A junior editor sighed. “Editor-in-chief, maybe we really got ahead of ourselves?”
After all, Jian Yuntai was only eighteen. Many at that age were just awakening to their Sinister Types. They would still wrestle mentally with whether to enter even E-level instances, while Jian Yuntai had already joined the Livestream Team and even C-level leftover instances.
Perhaps the expectations placed on him were too heavy. Should they cut losses now and reverse course?
The office was silent, everyone staring at the editor-in-chief, waiting for instructions.
The editor-in-chief hesitated as well. Changing the magazine’s tone now would make them seem like flip-floppers. The instance had only just begun, and there was still plenty of time.
“Wait a little longer,”
The junior editors stiffened; clearly, they weren’t fully on board with this decision.
Someone scrolled through the Livestream Team’s homepage, frowning. “Viewership for Jian Yuntai’s stream is dropping! Many came just for the King of Hell Wedding instance—they only care about the winners. Not only Jian Yuntai, but viewers from other streamers are moving to Team Six’s streamer too.”
Everyone felt even more anxious:
“This is bad. Rival media has been looking for a mistake, and we’ve practically handed it to them.”
“But we can’t blame Jian Yuntai. This is a team challenge. In terms of individual oil carried, he’s definitely top-tier, but his teammates… they’re just too weak.”
“Viewers don’t care about the process; they only care about results. And the result is… Jian Yuntai fell into the oil.”
“…”
A dark cloud seemed to hover over the media floor. Morale was low, especially after seeing rival outlets publish veiled jabs.
But the bad mood didn’t last long. The second round of the boiling-oil hell challenge began.
Initially, many were bored, reluctant to watch. The teams hadn’t changed, the rules hadn’t changed—it would just be a repeat of the first round’s disaster.
However… the moment the second round started, everyone’s eyes widened in shock at the projection.
“…?!!!” Someone drinking water literally spit it out, stunned: “What is Jian Yuntai doing?!”
…
…
In fact, it wasn’t just the media staff who were shocked. Even viewers in the livestream and Jian Yuntai’s teammates were stunned.
At the start, as everyone placed their tiny cups between their teeth, Jian Yuntai tossed his cup aside.
“What? He threw it away…” Everyone was astonished.
When players fell into the Ninth Level of Hell, they had no container—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been fumbling with that tiny cup, transporting a few drops of boiling oil.
If he threw away the cup, what would he use as a container?
Under the eyes of all, Jian Yuntai placed both hands on the edge of the large cauldron, took a deep breath, and plunged his head into the boiling oil.
“???”
His teammates froze, their tiny cups rattling against their teeth.
They all stopped moving, dumbfounded, as Jian Yuntai emerged from the cauldron with a mouthful of boiling oil.
“Doesn’t that burn?” He Qingzhou asked, stunned.
Jian Yuntai: “..…” Of course it burns.
He sprinted toward the far end of the bridge.
The idea wasn’t complicated, but few dared to try it. In his mind, there was nothing to fear—only a question of whether it could be done and how much reward it would yield.
The tiny cup could carry only about 100 milliliters of oil. On one trip across the plank, only about 15 milliliters might survive. The cup was thin-walled; pressed against the chin, it was almost the same as having oil directly against the face. Using a cup rated eight in pain, using his mouth directly was a nine.
Pain, once it reached a certain level, was just… pain.
Since it hurt anyway, why not be bolder?
With that one gulp, he secured 120 milliliters.
As long as the pain didn’t make him vomit while running, Jian Yuntai was fine—he absolutely wouldn’t throw up.
With this method, one trip transporting oil for Jian Yuntai equaled what four or five people in other teams could carry.
He single-handedly pushed his team’s ranking up by three spots.
Team Four was now in fifth place.
The new viewers who had joined for the neinei pink title were stunned:
“Where’s the cute little character we were promised?! The streamer is way too savage, ahhh!”
“Looks like a little hamster, actually kind of cute haha… In this end-of-the-world environment, I prefer someone fierce.”
“Kind of a cute-violence contrast feel hhhhhhh.”
With Jian Yuntai pushing like this, it was hard for the rest of the team to keep slacking off.
Fatty was the first to act. In the spirit of sharing hardship with his brother, he stuffed a big mouthful of oil into his mouth.
Shit shit shit shit! It burns so much!
Fatty’s cheeks twitched, his eyes nearly bulging out.
He glanced at Jian Yuntai’s rapidly moving back, almost suffocating: this guy couldn’t feel pain? How could he not even flinch?
With Fatty starting, the rest of the team followed suit. They grimaced and leaked some oil during the runs, but compared to the tiny cup, this method was far more efficient.
Every player in Team Four tried to carry as much oil as possible. After all, this level of pain was nothing compared to having their souls fried in the oil cauldron.
Of course, none of them wanted to slack off—most who participated in C-level instances didn’t even have the word “lazy” in their vocabulary.
If they slacked now and fell into the oil cauldron later, they would regret it to their core.
And so, Team Four’s ranking skyrocketed.
The first to notice the ranking change weren’t the other teams, but the viewers in all the streamers’ rooms.
From their perspective, Team Four seemed divinely assisted, surging from the bottom ranks to the top.
Now, they were closing in on first place. At this pace, in a matter of seconds, they could surpass Team Six.
What was happening?
Curious viewers flooded into Team Four’s streamer’s room like a tidal wave.
When they saw the live feed, everyone was stunned.
“Whoa, who came up with this method?!”
“I’m impressed hahaha. At least 5 milliliters of spit per 100 milliliters of boiling oil in the cauldron, right?”
“LOL, Team Four has gone completely crazy. They don’t even care about the ranking—they just want to carry more oil than each other. Thank goodness the oil only causes pain and not injury, otherwise the cauldron would be full of blood too.”
“Who has such a brilliant idea? That’s insane!”
Amid the amazement, someone who knew the backstory typed quickly: “neinei pink Jian Yuntai, check it out. This is his second instance. The first was Six Suns—yep! He unlocked the hidden mission last time too. Sisters, investing in this streamer is never a loss; pay to watch wife tackle the last instance~”
“Bookmarked. So fierce.”
“Bookmarked. Fierce and beautiful.”
“Bookmarked. Fierce, beautiful, and insane.”
Soon, the system announced:
【Jian Yuntai’s livestream: Likes +16,574, Coins +3,296, Bookmarks +5,770.】
【Your total bookmarks are now 21,000.】
【Your livestream ranking increased by 6 positions.】
Jian Yuntai didn’t hear a word of it. He ran to the cauldron at the bridgehead, staring at the boiling oil.
He Qingzhou stopped to catch his breath, grimacing and holding his knees: “What? Your reflexes are too slow. You only feel the burn now?”
“No.” Jian Yuntai shook his head, glanced at the team ranking, and said, “We’re neck-and-neck with Team Six. If their speed-type Sinister Monster Types use a skill, they could easily surpass us.”
“What do we do then?”
“I have a new plan.”
“What plan?” He Qingzhou asked blankly—then Jian Yuntai turned and gave him an extremely kind, gentle smile:
“You said your title is ‘God of Strength Jufu’ strong enough to lift this cauldron, right?”
“Y-yes…” He Qingzhou felt an ominous premonition. “What are you getting at?”
Jian Yuntai’s tone became even softer as he patted his shoulder: “Then lifting seven or eight people shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
He Qingzhou nodded, staring at Jian Yuntai in confusion.
But soon, he was no longer confused.
He completely broke down.
…
…
Even other teams began to sense something was off. Over several rounds, Team Four’s oil output had nearly equaled the total of all other teams combined.
“Did they switch members midway?!” someone asked the Ten Halls imp in shock.
The Ten Halls imp’s gaze dropped, his voice sharp: “They’re operating within the rules. No members were swapped.”
In the following rounds, no other team won. Players gawked at the rankings, and by the later rounds, most had given up struggling, staring blankly at the walls.
If it weren’t for the rules forbidding peeking, they would have smashed through the walls to see what Team Four was doing.
Curious, viewers also wanted to know—but they could just switch streams to satisfy their curiosity.
Once they entered Jian Yuntai’s livestream, they froze for a moment before bursting into laughter, slapping their desks in amusement.
“LOL, no wonder he’s the God of Strength Jufu—this title really undersells him.”
“Monkey He deserves an even better title hahaha. ‘Jufu’ can’t compete hhhhh.”
In the feed, He Qingzhou’s left arm held three players horizontally, and his right arm did the same.
Two more clung to his back: Fatty and Yu Xingcao, lying on opposite sides, clearly disliking each other.
He Qingzhou was the only one running back and forth across the plank bridge like a broken delivery machine.
He leaned forward at the bridge’s end as everyone opened their mouths to transfer the boiling oil. Then he carried everyone back to the bridgehead, where Jian Yuntai tilted the cauldron for faster access.
And so it went: drink—spit—drink.
Spit—drink—spit.
He Qingzhou’s face was a mask of exhaustion; he had no idea what he looked like. But he had no energy to adjust his posture for appearances.
Every time he ran between bridgehead and bridge end, he mechanically shoved people into the cauldron, paused three seconds, then pulled them back like uprooting turnips.
Though he was exhausted, deep down He Qingzhou was happy—this would surely earn him back the “God of Strength Jufu” title.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the system chimed:
【Player He Qingzhou has earned a new title!】
“!!!” He Qingzhou felt a surge of joy.
But his smile hadn’t even spread before the system struck again:
【You have received the title: God of Strength Lifting Man!】
“???” Lifting Man? He Qingzhou was stunned, unsure what was happening.
Then, over the next ten minutes…
【You have received the title: God of Strength Lifting Mother!】
【You have received the title: God of Strength Lifting Sister!】 Note: wordplay in which all of them changed from Jufu to Junan (lifting man), juma (lifting mother), jumei (lifting sister)
“…”
【You have received the title: God of Strength Lifting Jian Yuntai!】
【The platform will automatically equip this title for you.】
He Qingzhou staggered, nearly dropping the eight people he was carrying. Shouts filled the air, some coated with splashes of boiling oil.
“Huhhhhh?
“Wh-what’s happening?!”
He Qingzhou: “…..”
Nothing happened… it’s just that I’m broken.
Chapter 29: The King of Hell’s Wedding (6)
It was the first day of the instance.
Some people had spent the whole night being fried in the oil cauldron.
Some had spent the entire night drinking in the palace.
Some had broken down, running back and forth transporting people.
And then there was Jian Yuntai… by the second half of the night, he had tilted the cauldron at the bridgehead and already closed his eyes for a brief nap.
【Congratulations, player, you have completed main quest step 2】
【You have successfully received a 15-day survival time reward】
Jian Yuntai’s spirit jolted, and he opened his eyes.
The Ten Halls imp knelt and stepped forward, his sharp voice squeaking, “Congratulations to all of you for passing the first level of the trial. If anyone wishes to withdraw midway from the King of Hell’s Marriage Challenge, please step forward and register.”
No one responded.
Everyone was utterly exhausted, collapsing to the ground with dead-eyed stares, too drained even to speak.
The Ten Halls imp waved his sleeve sharply.
The bamboo sticks beside him expanded several times their normal size. Without wind, they swept up the players on the ground, wrapping everyone inside like a bundle of zongzi leaves.
Whoosh—whoosh—
The bamboo sticks lifted, and the players inside rocked like they were on a sealed pirate ship, swaying as they were returned to the palace. The moment they appeared, the destined persons immediately stood up, eyes anxious and fixed on them, yet they didn’t approach.
Cui Yu lifted his gaze slightly, his fingers pressing the rim of his wine cup until it creaked. Fine liquor leaked from a crack in the cup.
He set the cup down, eyes lowered.
…
…
The King of Hell’s face was gaunt, his frame thin.
Even standing up required two Ten Halls imps to carefully support him.
Once upright, he scanned the eighty people in the hall, his gaze lingering on Jian Yuntai for a full five or six seconds.
“Very good.”
The King of Hell nodded, letting out a satisfied laugh before coughing weakly. “Over the next four days, the palace feast will continue, drums and music resounding. Each evening, when the golden sun sets, you will draw lots for challenges. I do not favor forced marriages; after each challenge, you may choose to withdraw if you wish. When the Sun-Beast parades through the underworld, follow the destined persons back and make sure to rest well.”
“What is he even saying?” He Qingzhou elbowed Jian Yuntai, confused. “He’s rambling on and on. Can someone translate this for me?”
Jian Yuntai gave him a helpless glance and replied briefly, “The main quest continues for four more days. You can withdraw midway. Nighttime is for challenges; daytime, you return to the destined person’s house to rest.”
He Qingzhou rolled his eyes. “Then he could have just said that… why all the fancy talk—” His words cut off as his face suddenly changed. He clutched his chest in pain.
The instance’s background system abruptly sounded:
【Soul Contract Value -20】
【Your current Soul Contract Value is 70】
Bang bang—
He Qingzhou fell to his knees, vomiting a large puddle of dark red blood with a ‘whaa’ sound. Among the blood were thumb-sized clots of red, sticky tissue. The moment he vomited, his complexion went from flush to deathly pale, his body visibly weak.
Jian Yuntai moved to support him but also dropped to one knee. After coughing a few times, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Worse, his heart twisted painfully, like it was about to explode with each breath.
Fatty cursed, blood smeared across his chin, pointing at the ground in alarm. “What are these red clumps?”
“Internal organ fragments.” Yu Xingcao was at least a Sinister Spirit Type and had read some medical texts. He frowned. “Under normal circumstances, people can’t vomit organ fragments. Your organs have to rupture first, the stomach perforated, organs forced into the stomach, and then violent vomiting could bring them up.”
“Then what counts as an abnormal case?” Fatty asked, brow furrowed.
Yu Xingcao’s face darkened; he said nothing. Fatty was about to panic, but Jian Yuntai suddenly spoke, standing in front of them: “We’ve all been poisoned.”
“?” Fatty froze.
Other players also looked at him, stunned.
Jian Yuntai wiped the blood from his lips with his sleeve and said calmly, “There’s a horrific torture method that uses gas to corrode the lungs. In a short time, the lungs break into chunks. Severe coughing can then bring them up.”
The moment he said this, everyone’s expression turned pale with fear.
They had known vomiting organ fragments was possible, but poisoning was different. This was a sustained debuff; their bodies would remain weak as long as the poison persisted.
Under this condition, the subsequent stages would only become more difficult.
The Ten Halls imp shouted, “The Soul Contract records show that you all have destined persons. If you do not merge spirit and flesh with them, your bodies will deteriorate day by day. The King of Hell’s Marriage Challenge is not your true path. I ask again: does anyone wish to withdraw midway?”
“I withdraw!” An experienced player could no longer endure and decided to cut losses. Immediately, others followed, “Me too!”
“…”
The streamers’ expressions sank gradually. They stared at each other for a long time, yet not a single person chose to withdraw.
Viewers in the livestream rooms were baffled:
“Isn’t this the time to cut losses? Why are all the streamers continuing the challenge?”
“If it were me, I’d probably withdraw halfway too…”
“This explains why we can’t get into the livestream team. Think about it: some veteran players said the destined persons side quest is spine-chilling. This shows that withdrawing midway doesn’t guarantee safety. Players are merely stepping from the dragon’s den into the tiger’s lair. Rather than giving up halfway and facing new dangers, it’s better to go all the way and see it through.”
“…Damn, do all the streamers think like this? They’re really pushing themselves. No wonder they made it into the livestream team.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, these streamers are ruthless. This instance is going to be amazing. I want to see who among these ruthless ones can make it to the very end and clear it smoothly.”
“That has to be Monkey He, right? He still holds the record for rising from the livestream team’s low-tier to a regular streamer!”
The Ten Halls imp finally finished registering twenty names. He said, “Then today’s challenge is over. Everyone, return to rest and recover.”
He returned to the King of Hell’s side.
The grand hall reeked of blood. Streams of dark red blood flowed endlessly from the altar, pooling into the palace like beautiful, vivid crimson rivers, trickling slowly down the steps toward the destined persons’ banquet.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Cui Yu rose.
Once Cui Yu moved, the other destined persons dared to take steps forward, faces stiff, following him carefully.
The scene looked like kindergarten children being led home; the destined persons approached each player one by one.
Jian Yuntai lifted his gaze and saw a cold, bony hand extended toward him, holding a pale bluish handkerchief.
“Wipe it off,” Cui Yu said calmly.
Jian Yuntai took the handkerchief, glancing at him in confusion several times.
In that instant, his heart had genuinely ached—strange emotions filling his mind. Heartache, puzzlement, even a hint of anger… a complicated mix.
But after vomiting the blood, those feelings receded like a tide, leaving not a trace.
Were those just Cui Yu’s emotions?
There was absolutely no way to tell.
Jian Yuntai even wondered if it had been an illusion.
※※※
At the fork in the road, Fatty pretended to wipe away tears, patting Jian Yuntai on the side of his waist. “Watch that little waist of yours during the day. Don’t let that white-haired guy take advantage.”
Jian Yuntai was about to reply when Fatty’s eyes suddenly darted behind him. Whatever he saw made him quickly pull back his hand from Jian Yuntai’s waist.
He lowered his voice and said sincerely, “Hope that when we meet again tonight, you’re still… untouched.”
“…” Jian Yuntai kicked him.
Great. Now the entire livestream knew he was still a virgin.
Turning back to Cui Yu’s side, Jian Yuntai expected a few words, but Cui Yu said nothing.
They walked in silence all the way to another palace.
The residence of the Chief Judge of the Yin Law Division was naturally solemn and imposing. The blackened bricks and tiles gave off a chilling aura. Inside, countless black-robed ghost officials stood with pale, expressionless faces, their movements stiff, and each step seemed to stir cold gusts of wind.
Cui Yu led him to a side chamber and, without changing expression, said, “Wait here a moment,” before leaving. After a while, he returned, followed by about thirty stiffly moving ghost officials.
The ghost officials placed the glazed glass lamps on the table, kneeled briefly, and then exited the room.
The green candles were lit, leaving only the two of them in the room.
Jian Yuntai smelled the food and his eyes lit up. “All of this is for me?”
Cui Yu nodded. “All yours.”
“!!!” Those four words sounded like heaven to Jian Yuntai’s ears!
He had been hungry—he had been starving in the oil cauldron hell.
He had planned to sneak out during the day to grab something to eat to avoid starving. But Cui Yu had prepared everything for him in advance; he was truly his provider!
Jian Yuntai’s attitude toward Cui Yu visibly warmed as he picked up a teacup and asked, “Can we add more dishes if this isn’t enough?”
“You can have as much as you want.” Cui Yu’s pale eyes glimmered slightly, his hoarse voice low and calm. “If you’re willing to marry me, all living things in the Underworld can serve as ingredients for your meals.”
“Cough… cough cough…” Jian Yuntai had just sipped his tea and hadn’t swallowed yet when those words made him choke.
“How do you manage to choke on water?” Cui Yu pursed his lips, looking at him with a faint, fleeting smile. It disappeared almost immediately, and his demeanor returned to that cold, ethereal detachment.
Jian Yuntai set down his teacup, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “So… can I eat you?”
“I am not a living being.” Cui Yu paused for a moment, lowering his gaze. “If you want to ‘eat’ me, that’s possible too. But it would have to be… a different kind of eating. You’re still young—do you understand this?”
“…” Jian Yuntai blinked, utterly bewildered.
“I’ve read many ancient texts.” Cui Yu’s expression remained calm and neutral, though he stammered suddenly, “I-I… can teach you.”
“!!!” The livestream exploded. Comments flew across the screen like wildfire:
“A massive truck just ran over my face!! Teach him already, ahhhh, he doesn’t understand!”
“Can we even broadcast what’s coming next? I want to watch! I’ll pay 555555”
Note: 555555 is crying sounds from wuwuwuwu because 5 is wu in Chinese.
“Hahaha, wife just rushes headfirst into everything, whether it’s fighting or chaos. But when it comes to this… he freezes. Last time during he also didn’t understand what spirits and flesh unite mean either, hahaha, he’s so innocent.”
“Big guts, girls! He’s only eighteen, still a little baby… But this dialogue feels familiar. Last instance, Song Yulu laughed when he choked on water too—double encore hhhhhh”
The ghost officials brought dish after dish—four or five rounds—before Jian Yuntai finally felt full, no longer hearing the screams of hunger deep in his soul.
He put down the jade chopsticks and looked at the final dish being brought forward.
Technically, it wasn’t a dish at all—it was a bowl of water.
The water was a clear, deep blue, sparkling like crystal.
For some reason, the moment Jian Yuntai looked at it, he felt as if the water contained endless torment and suffering. Just looking at it made his mind churn.
“This is water from the Sea of Life and Death. Countless souls drowned here, and over time the water has become saturated with fragments of their spirits.” Cui Yu tapped the rim of the bowl with his index finger and nudged it forward a few centimeters. “Drinking it can repair damage to your soul.”
Jian Yuntai lifted the bowl with both hands, staring at the water.
Soon, a cold hand covered his eyes. Cui Yu’s hoarse voice whispered, “Don’t look. It’s dirty.”
Jian Yuntai obeyed, raising the bowl and drinking it in one gulp.
The moment the water hit his stomach, he felt as though icy knives had pierced his esophagus. His whole body shivered from the cold. But the sensation lasted only a few minutes. Soon, the aches throughout his body eased dramatically, especially the burn from the hot oil that had scorched his throat—it disappeared instantly.
After setting the bowl down, Cui Yu didn’t remove his hand. His palm remained pressed over Jian Yuntai’s eyes. Jian Yuntai was about to swipe it away, but his wrist was firmly grasped.
Sss-sss—
Sss-sss—
The green candles burned in the hall, smoke curling upward. Wax dripped onto the stands, releasing a faint, lingering fragrance around Jian Yuntai’s nose.
Before he could react further, Cui Yu suddenly leaned in, pressing his hand heavily against the armrest of the chair, pinning Jian Yuntai’s hands.
“!!!”
Jian Yuntai’s heart sank. His mind immediately ran through every possible escape and combat technique, ready to throw himself at Cui Yu at any second.
Yet Cui Yu’s next words stopped him dead in his tracks.
“You suffered such grievous injuries for King of Hell, and even the Sea of Life and Death’s water cannot fully heal you… is he really that important to you?” Cui Yu laughed softly, paused for a few seconds, and then spoke in a calm, almost deadwater tone, beneath which surged an undercurrent of raw emotion.
“Why can’t it be me?”
If you like this novel and would like to show your appreciation, please head to my Kofi by (click here -> Kofi)—and if the cliffhanger demons are haunting you, join the membership tier to access advanced chapter access (up to 10!).
