Early in the morning, Zhong Chengshuo opened his eyes.
In front of him, Yin Ren was sleeping soundly with their foreheads touching. Although this Evil Spirit didn’t have much sense of propriety in his actions, his sleeping posture was fine, and there was no floundering or drooling.
A strand of black hair was attached to Zhong Chengshuo’s cheek, and it slid gently with Yin Ren’s breathing, tickling him a little.
A perfect face, very much in line with the golden ratio. Yin Ren’s breath was warm and long, and no matter how he looked at it, he didn’t look like a dead thing in every aspect.
This was the “person” he liked.
But then what? No book had ever recorded how to continue their situation.
Zhong Chengshuo stared at Yin Ren for a while, and finally, he sat up squarely and looked out the window.
At Yin Ren’s request, they didn’t draw the curtains at night, allowing the delicate “Zhong Yi painting” to be hidden in the folds of the curtains. This caused the sunlight to shine into the room early the next day, and the greenery outside the window flourished as if it were about to spill in.
Zhong Chengshuo folded up his nightcap a few times and put it away carefully.
Just as he left the bed, someone in bed rolled over to his place. The first thing he did was smack his lips, hug Zhong Chengshuo’s pillow between his arms, and continue to sleep with a straight face. He lay diagonally across the bed, and his long black hair was spread all over.
Zhong Chengshuo looked at the hair and stretched out his hand, burying it in it. The satin-like soft black hair surged between his fingers, like warm liquid. Zhong Chengshuo touched him carefully, and his breathing eased a bit. Only the soft sound of fabric rubbing against the skin was left in the air.
Suddenly, he retracted his hand as if he felt an electric shock and pursed the corners of his mouth.
In the morning light, Zhong Chengshuo sat down in front of the chair and spread out the hardcover book he carried with him. He wrote down the date and weather with his pen, and then lines of words flowed out smoothly like a printer, without a single typo.
In the rustling sound, Zhong Chengshuo organized yesterday’s memories.
At yesterday’s briefing, only the most basic information was announced, and there were no details on the competition as they had expected. According to the coaches, the joint practice exercise will be held next Monday.
The coaches knew all the content of the competition but didn’t reveal the slightest bit to them.
“When a real battle comes, no one will give you the opportunity to prepare in advance,” the “#1 Priestess”, Qiao Shang, said with a stern face.
The “#1 Evil Smith” smiled. “I asked you to come early to familiarize yourself with the environment and to bond with each other. It’s like… What’s it called? Oh right, a paid team-building activity!”
As for Fu Xingchuan, the “#1 Ghost General” of Haigu, he didn’t attend the briefing at all.
It was called an introductory meeting, but the people from different branches didn’t really communicate with each other. B-level and C-level groups competed separately, and the only C-level group from Yandu and Linnan shared the same room with them.
Just looking at the number of people, the Haigu branch had the largest.
There were only two people from Yandu’s C-level group; one was Fu Tianyi, and the other was a thin woman in her forties. However, there was also a black cat lying on their table, which looked like the one that was sunbathing during the day.
“What are you looking at, idiot?” The black cat snorted at Zhong Chengshuo, who was staring at it, and spoke in a soft and delicate voice.
Zhong Chengshuo: “……”
Lu Xiaohe gave the black cat a very complicated look.
“That’s the only non-human in Shian out of all our rear commanders.” Lu Xiaohe explained in a low voice. “Don’t judge it by its appearance. It actually has a special doctoral degree in quantum physics from C University.”
As “King Yama”, Zhong Chengshuo knew this Dr. Cat.
When it was a cub, it survived the corruption of an Evil Force and gained the ability of the “infinite” branch. Those with this ability have a significant increase in their brain’s information processing capacity. In other words, their intelligence was noticeably superior to that of their peers.
Dr. Cat scoffed at the various metaphysical theories of mankind and wouldn’t be frightened by the horror of its human characteristics due to this phenomenon. Given that cats didn’t have their own metaphysical system, Dr. Cat, despite its psychic abilities, had developed into a kind of… distorted science post.
[Yandu C-level group: Fu Tianyi (orthodox cultivator), Auntie Tao (unknown science post), Mei Qiu* (cat, infinite branch ability)]
*Its name translated is Coal Balls (quite apt given how it’s a black cat).
In the gap between memories, Zhong Chengshuo wrote down stroke by stroke in his notebook.
……
Miraculously, there were also only two people in the C-level special group of the Linnan branch.
One of them was Miss Luo Wanxiang, who was known as a “mechanical genius”. Even when she was eating, she had machinery stuck to her arm, and a robot dog was lying at her feet. Her partner was a blind girl who wore a colorful shaman-style dress, and the texture of her cane was like animal bones. The role of the rear commander was assumed by Luo Wanxiang’s AI program and had no entity.
[Linnan C-level group: Sang Jie (shaman), Luo Wanxiang (top mechanic), AI rear commander]
The tip of Zhong Chengshuo’s pen paused.
Except for Haigu, everyone was dressed uniquely. Fu Tianyi wore an old-fashioned red tunic and mask, Luo Wanxiang wore an oily work uniform, and Sang Jie was dressed like a shaman. Even Auntie Tao, who was a science post, wore an old nurse’s uniform.
No matter which one was taken out, they could be used as a “protagonist” of a movie.
…On the other hand, on their side, Ge Tingting and Huang Jin were wearing standard Shian uniforms, while Lu Xiaohe was wearing a shirt with “The weather is great, but I have no money*” written on it and sweatpants that were convenient for hiking.
*It’s a humorous quip implying the weather is great, but that person has no money to enjoy it (as in, their financial situation is limiting their ability to do so).
Yin Ren once again showed “big problems of the leader’s heart*”. Zhong Chengshuo was dressed properly, but his high-collared, long-sleeved linen shirt covering his scar looked quite strange in the summer.
*(领导心腹大患) Idiom which refers to a major hidden danger or problem that is close to one’s superior or leader. || In this context, it refers to something important or sensitive that is only known to the speaker or their superior or leader, which could potentially cause trouble if it were revealed or mishandled (as in, Yin Ren’s true identity, which is only known to him and Fu Xingchuan).
Compared to the other two teams, they seemed more like ordinary people who were trying to win through quantity rather than quality.
Fu Tianyi let out a very loud tsk.
“I originally heard that Haigu was participating in the competition, so I was looking forward to it.” He didn’t deliberately lower his voice.
Yin Ren was facing a bronze statue of Zhong Yi in the center of the table, lost in thought, he had no time to pay attention to him. Ge Tingting was unable to speak directly, and her face turned red. As for Lu Xiaohe and Huang Jin, one had the calm and composed look of an adult, while the other had the look of affection of an adult.
Since Yin Ren had lost his combat effectiveness, Zhong Chengshuo needed to keep the conversation going.
“We’re very good,” he replied.
Fu Tianyi: “……”
Fu Tianyi opened his mouth and fired off a barrage of words. “I’ve seen your mission records, and you really dealt with a lot of big cases, but, except for the Gao Mengyu case, later on, you were simply caught up in them and had to escape. It can’t be considered real combat experience, can it?”
Zhong Chengshuo said calmly, “Well, we’re also very good at escaping.”
It was a pity that Fu Tianyi wasn’t a wicked person, and he couldn’t infer the countermeasures of the opponent from their performance. Zhong Chengshuo tilted his head and looked at Fu Tianyi for a while, wondering how he would smooth things over if he were Yin Ren in this situation.
Yin Ren said that he should be sincere to people who were younger than him.
Zhong Chengshuo adjusted his breathing a bit. “You are from the Fu family, so you’re confident. The reason you’re in a C-level group might be due to severe lack of practical experience. I’m looking forward to our match.”
Fu Tianyi remained silent. After a while, he let out a heavy snort and turned his body around, exuding sharp hostility. While he was sulking, Dr. Mei Qiu dragged out a drumstick from its plate and took a couple bites.
[There were no special circumstances at the introduction meeting, and everyone got along well.]
Zhong Chengshuo reviewed his own speech and believed he was friendly enough. His tone was more confident than Fu Tianyi’s.
After finishing this sentence, Zhong Chengshuo turned his head and glanced at Yin Ren, who had buried his nose in his pillow and was still sleeping soundly.
[So far, I have maintained my love for “Yin Ren”, and this feeling has a tendency to grow over time.]
[Today’s body temperature is 36.2℃. There’s no change in height, and weight has increased by 100g. The fluctuation is within a normal range. There is no obvious discomfort in the body, and everything feels normal.]
The tip of Zhong Chengshuo’s pen hovered over the word “normal” as he frowned slightly. He looked at the hand that was stroking Yin Ren’s hair.
[*There is a slight sense of rejection when touching. Follow-ups need to be watched…]
Halfway through writing, Zhong Chengshuo pursed his lips and scratched out the entire line into a long black block.
[*There is no follow-up to the mayor incident in Gengsheng Town, so we will continue to follow up.] He wrote a completely different message under the black bar.
“Zhong Ge—” Yin Ren finally woke up. He was wrapped in the blanket and gave out a loud yawn. “You get up so early. Wait for me for five minutes, and we can get breakfast together.”
“No need to rush. I’m planning to shower first.”
Zhong Chengshuo closed the hardcover book and put it in his backpack.
“Have you seen my phone?” Yin Ren said as he got out of bed. His hands were already scouring the bed to search for his phone.
“Your phone ornament dragged your phone under the bed. It doesn’t seem to like it here.”
There was a faint “puff” under the bed.
……
Fu residence, the central ancestral hall.
“…So you don’t feel anything special,” Fu Xingchuan said.
“Yes, I don’t have any special feelings.” Fu Wuya, the director of Huajisi from 900 years ago, repeated solemnly. “Did you really bring that evil thing in? How did he react?”
Fu Xingchuan: “He looks ashamed. It’s not like you don’t know how our home is decorated…”
“So it can come in.”
The giant eye on Fu Wuya’s tree trunk turned, and its black hole-like pupils almost swallowed his eyeballs, giving off a very uncomfortable feeling.
“Yes.”
“It seems that that kid has no malice towards mortals if he can pass my exorcism array. Well, it should be said that so far, he doesn’t have too much malice, which isn’t common in evil beings. He also brought in Yellow Millet, right? Its aura is very obvious.”
“Yes…” Fu Xingchuan touched his chin. “Many thanks, Ancestor.”
“Dear grandson, would it be too much if I intervened in the league as well?”
“Fortunately, even if that person isn’t Zhong Yi, these young brats should still get a taste of the real deal… There are more movements from Sunken Society, which probably means there will be a big mess to come.” Fu Xingchuan waved his hand. His eyes regained clarity after a long time of being sleep-deprived.
Fu Wuya’s giant eye turned faster.
He didn’t comment on Fu Xingchuan’s overall deduction but cleared his throat with difficulty.
“Dear grandson… Did you come down this time without bathing after burning incense?”
“…I’m leaving now.”
Early in the morning, Zhong Chengshuo opened his eyes.
In front of him, Yin Ren was sleeping soundly with their foreheads touching. Although this Evil Spirit didn’t have much sense of propriety in his actions, his sleeping posture was fine, and there was no floundering or drooling.
A strand of black hair was attached to Zhong Chengshuo’s cheek, and it slid gently with Yin Ren’s breathing, tickling him a little.
A perfect face, very much in line with the golden ratio. Yin Ren’s breath was warm and long, and no matter how he looked at it, he didn’t look like a dead thing in every aspect.
This was the “person” he liked.
But then what? No book had ever recorded how to continue their situation.
Zhong Chengshuo stared at Yin Ren for a while, and finally, he sat up squarely and looked out the window.
At Yin Ren’s request, they didn’t draw the curtains at night, allowing the delicate “Zhong Yi painting” to be hidden in the folds of the curtains. This caused the sunlight to shine into the room early the next day, and the greenery outside the window flourished as if it were about to spill in.
Zhong Chengshuo folded up his nightcap a few times and put it away carefully.
Just as he left the bed, someone in bed rolled over to his place. The first thing he did was smack his lips, hug Zhong Chengshuo’s pillow between his arms, and continue to sleep with a straight face. He lay diagonally across the bed, and his long black hair was spread all over.
Zhong Chengshuo looked at the hair and stretched out his hand, burying it in it. The satin-like soft black hair surged between his fingers, like warm liquid. Zhong Chengshuo touched him carefully, and his breathing eased a bit. Only the soft sound of fabric rubbing against the skin was left in the air.
Suddenly, he retracted his hand as if he felt an electric shock and pursed the corners of his mouth.
In the morning light, Zhong Chengshuo sat down in front of the chair and spread out the hardcover book he carried with him. He wrote down the date and weather with his pen, and then lines of words flowed out smoothly like a printer, without a single typo.
In the rustling sound, Zhong Chengshuo organized yesterday’s memories.
At yesterday’s briefing, only the most basic information was announced, and there were no details on the competition as they had expected. According to the coaches, the joint practice exercise will be held next Monday.
The coaches knew all the content of the competition but didn’t reveal the slightest bit to them.
“When a real battle comes, no one will give you the opportunity to prepare in advance,” the “#1 Priestess”, Qiao Shang, said with a stern face.
The “#1 Evil Smith” smiled. “I asked you to come early to familiarize yourself with the environment and to bond with each other. It’s like… What’s it called? Oh right, a paid team-building activity!”
As for Fu Xingchuan, the “#1 Ghost General” of Haigu, he didn’t attend the briefing at all.
It was called an introductory meeting, but the people from different branches didn’t really communicate with each other. B-level and C-level groups competed separately, and the only C-level group from Yandu and Linnan shared the same room with them.
Just looking at the number of people, the Haigu branch had the largest.
There were only two people from Yandu’s C-level group; one was Fu Tianyi, and the other was a thin woman in her forties. However, there was also a black cat lying on their table, which looked like the one that was sunbathing during the day.
“What are you looking at, idiot?” The black cat snorted at Zhong Chengshuo, who was staring at it, and spoke in a soft and delicate voice.
Zhong Chengshuo: “……”
Lu Xiaohe gave the black cat a very complicated look.
“That’s the only non-human in Shian out of all our rear commanders.” Lu Xiaohe explained in a low voice. “Don’t judge it by its appearance. It actually has a special doctoral degree in quantum physics from C University.”
As “King Yama”, Zhong Chengshuo knew this Dr. Cat.
When it was a cub, it survived the corruption of an Evil Force and gained the ability of the “infinite” branch. Those with this ability have a significant increase in their brain’s information processing capacity. In other words, their intelligence was noticeably superior to that of their peers.
Dr. Cat scoffed at the various metaphysical theories of mankind and wouldn’t be frightened by the horror of its human characteristics due to this phenomenon. Given that cats didn’t have their own metaphysical system, Dr. Cat, despite its psychic abilities, had developed into a kind of… distorted science post.
[Yandu C-level group: Fu Tianyi (orthodox cultivator), Auntie Tao (unknown science post), Mei Qiu* (cat, infinite branch ability)]
*Its name translated is Coal Balls (quite apt given how it’s a black cat).
In the gap between memories, Zhong Chengshuo wrote down stroke by stroke in his notebook.
……
Miraculously, there were also only two people in the C-level special group of the Linnan branch.
One of them was Miss Luo Wanxiang, who was known as a “mechanical genius”. Even when she was eating, she had machinery stuck to her arm, and a robot dog was lying at her feet. Her partner was a blind girl who wore a colorful shaman-style dress, and the texture of her cane was like animal bones. The role of the rear commander was assumed by Luo Wanxiang’s AI program and had no entity.
[Linnan C-level group: Sang Jie (shaman), Luo Wanxiang (top mechanic), AI rear commander]
The tip of Zhong Chengshuo’s pen paused.
Except for Haigu, everyone was dressed uniquely. Fu Tianyi wore an old-fashioned red tunic and mask, Luo Wanxiang wore an oily work uniform, and Sang Jie was dressed like a shaman. Even Auntie Tao, who was a science post, wore an old nurse’s uniform.
No matter which one was taken out, they could be used as a “protagonist” of a movie.
…On the other hand, on their side, Ge Tingting and Huang Jin were wearing standard Shian uniforms, while Lu Xiaohe was wearing a shirt with “The weather is great, but I have no money*” written on it and sweatpants that were convenient for hiking.
*It’s a humorous quip implying the weather is great, but that person has no money to enjoy it (as in, their financial situation is limiting their ability to do so).
Yin Ren once again showed “big problems of the leader’s heart*”. Zhong Chengshuo was dressed properly, but his high-collared, long-sleeved linen shirt covering his scar looked quite strange in the summer.
*(领导心腹大患) Idiom which refers to a major hidden danger or problem that is close to one’s superior or leader. || In this context, it refers to something important or sensitive that is only known to the speaker or their superior or leader, which could potentially cause trouble if it were revealed or mishandled (as in, Yin Ren’s true identity, which is only known to him and Fu Xingchuan).
Compared to the other two teams, they seemed more like ordinary people who were trying to win through quantity rather than quality.
Fu Tianyi let out a very loud tsk.
“I originally heard that Haigu was participating in the competition, so I was looking forward to it.” He didn’t deliberately lower his voice.
Yin Ren was facing a bronze statue of Zhong Yi in the center of the table, lost in thought, he had no time to pay attention to him. Ge Tingting was unable to speak directly, and her face turned red. As for Lu Xiaohe and Huang Jin, one had the calm and composed look of an adult, while the other had the look of affection of an adult.
Since Yin Ren had lost his combat effectiveness, Zhong Chengshuo needed to keep the conversation going.
“We’re very good,” he replied.
Fu Tianyi: “……”
Fu Tianyi opened his mouth and fired off a barrage of words. “I’ve seen your mission records, and you really dealt with a lot of big cases, but, except for the Gao Mengyu case, later on, you were simply caught up in them and had to escape. It can’t be considered real combat experience, can it?”
Zhong Chengshuo said calmly, “Well, we’re also very good at escaping.”
It was a pity that Fu Tianyi wasn’t a wicked person, and he couldn’t infer the countermeasures of the opponent from their performance. Zhong Chengshuo tilted his head and looked at Fu Tianyi for a while, wondering how he would smooth things over if he were Yin Ren in this situation.
Yin Ren said that he should be sincere to people who were younger than him.
Zhong Chengshuo adjusted his breathing a bit. “You are from the Fu family, so you’re confident. The reason you’re in a C-level group might be due to severe lack of practical experience. I’m looking forward to our match.”
Fu Tianyi remained silent. After a while, he let out a heavy snort and turned his body around, exuding sharp hostility. While he was sulking, Dr. Mei Qiu dragged out a drumstick from its plate and took a couple bites.
[There were no special circumstances at the introduction meeting, and everyone got along well.]
Zhong Chengshuo reviewed his own speech and believed he was friendly enough. His tone was more confident than Fu Tianyi’s.
After finishing this sentence, Zhong Chengshuo turned his head and glanced at Yin Ren, who had buried his nose in his pillow and was still sleeping soundly.
[So far, I have maintained my love for “Yin Ren”, and this feeling has a tendency to grow over time.]
[Today’s body temperature is 36.2℃. There’s no change in height, and weight has increased by 100g. The fluctuation is within a normal range. There is no obvious discomfort in the body, and everything feels normal.]
The tip of Zhong Chengshuo’s pen hovered over the word “normal” as he frowned slightly. He looked at the hand that was stroking Yin Ren’s hair.
[*There is a slight sense of rejection when touching. Follow-ups need to be watched…]
Halfway through writing, Zhong Chengshuo pursed his lips and scratched out the entire line into a long black block.
[*There is no follow-up to the mayor incident in Gengsheng Town, so we will continue to follow up.] He wrote a completely different message under the black bar.
“Zhong Ge—” Yin Ren finally woke up. He was wrapped in the blanket and gave out a loud yawn. “You get up so early. Wait for me for five minutes, and we can get breakfast together.”
“No need to rush. I’m planning to shower first.”
Zhong Chengshuo closed the hardcover book and put it in his backpack.
“Have you seen my phone?” Yin Ren said as he got out of bed. His hands were already scouring the bed to search for his phone.
“Your phone ornament dragged your phone under the bed. It doesn’t seem to like it here.”
There was a faint “puff” under the bed.
……
Fu residence, the central ancestral hall.
“…So you don’t feel anything special,” Fu Xingchuan said.
“Yes, I don’t have any special feelings.” Fu Wuya, the director of Huajisi from 900 years ago, repeated solemnly. “Did you really bring that evil thing in? How did he react?”
Fu Xingchuan: “He looks ashamed. It’s not like you don’t know how our home is decorated…”
“So it can come in.”
The giant eye on Fu Wuya’s tree trunk turned, and its black hole-like pupils almost swallowed his eyeballs, giving off a very uncomfortable feeling.
“Yes.”
“It seems that that kid has no malice towards mortals if he can pass my exorcism array. Well, it should be said that so far, he doesn’t have too much malice, which isn’t common in evil beings. He also brought in Yellow Millet, right? Its aura is very obvious.”
“Yes…” Fu Xingchuan touched his chin. “Many thanks, Ancestor.”
“Dear grandson, would it be too much if I intervened in the league as well?”
“Fortunately, even if that person isn’t Zhong Yi, these young brats should still get a taste of the real deal… There are more movements from Sunken Society, which probably means there will be a big mess to come.” Fu Xingchuan waved his hand. His eyes regained clarity after a long time of being sleep-deprived.
Fu Wuya’s giant eye turned faster.
He didn’t comment on Fu Xingchuan’s overall deduction but cleared his throat with difficulty.
“Dear grandson… Did you come down this time without bathing after burning incense?”
“…I’m leaving now.”
