GRMFBS CH81

Bai Ze’s death had been far too tragic and violent. No one had the chance to extend his lifespan the way Lin Yuan had sustained Wan Yan’s soul.

His life was extinguished, and his soul had vanished without a trace. Twenty-six years ago, the world was thrown into utter chaos; humans, demons, and ghosts alike were nearly depleted of all their strength, leaving little to spare for a search.

Everyone looked for him for a time, found nothing, and had to return to patching up the shattered, battered world left in the war’s wake. Once the repairs were somewhat finished, they resumed the search, yet still came up empty-handed.

Bai Ze’s circumstances were unique. Because of that, the Wan Yao Alliance, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, and Mount Chaofu had each turned the world inside out searching for him. If none of them could find anything after such extensive efforts, the most likely conclusion was that he was simply gone. His living life was extinguished, and his deceased soul had presumably dissipated as well.

So eventually, everyone stopped looking.

Yet twenty-six years later, Infinite—which had once been smashed to pieces—resurfaced. Instead of lying low and biding its time to rebuild, it took the risk to search for Bai Ze.

Infinite’s methods and power were vastly different from their own. Aside from its sheer covetous hunger for Bai Ze, was it willing to take such a gamble because it possessed some secret means of confirming that Bai Ze had never truly perished?

If Bai Ze was indeed still around, he absolutely could not be allowed to fall into Infinite’s hands!

However, the Mind-Leading Curse was rather terrifying. Once Zhan Yunkai learned of the existence of such a sinister thing, he had no intention of letting anyone else get involved in a matter of this gravity. Thus, he only came on his own to seek help from Ghost King Minghe.

Ghost King Minghe had been born from the Ming He River and was the river itself; there was no need to worry about her soul. As for Wan Yan, his soul contained Lin Yuan’s demon core, making it impossible for him to be caught unaware by the Mind-Leading Curse.

Wan Yan, in his cat form, tilted his small face up toward the Chongming Demon King, tears rolling down like pattering raindrops.

Wuu-wuu-wuu, my friend is dead!

Wuu-wuu-wuu, and I can’t even remember him!

He felt deeply aggrieved and heartbroken.

“It is also possible that some remnants of his soul remain.” Ghost King Minghe raised her hand and gently scratched the kitten’s head. “So, help me search for him.”

Wan Yan nodded with utter seriousness. “Okay!”

With Ghost King Wan Yan busying himself, Ghost King Lin Yuan could thoroughly carry out his investigation.

Lin Yuan pursued the clues regarding the cursed scales upward, while Deep Shadow stopped tracking down the flesh-and-blood anomaly trails.

It wasn’t that Deep Shadow feared a fight with Ghost King Lin Yuan, but there was simply no point. Since he knew someone else was taking care of those flesh-and-blood anomalies, he was more than happy to focus exclusively on probing the Black Nest and the Monster Doctor.

Approaching Science later informed him that Monster Doctor had now turned into an anomaly. Gu Jiancheng wasn’t particularly surprised. If the doctor had transformed into an anomaly, it only made sense that he was still kicking around.

Investigating the Magician wasn’t an easy task either, though. While they were digging for clues, the other side was hiding and mounting counterattacks, turning the search into a prolonged battle of attrition.

Amidst all the grinding investigation, he stole brief pockets of leisure to attend lectures and date his boyfriend.

Dating for young people didn’t strictly require elaborate romantic outings. Drinking soybean milk together during morning exercise, hooking fingers while walking along the paths, sitting side by side during lectures, passing notes or swapping notebooks, and sharing a sweet smile the moment their eyes met—it all felt intensely sweet.

Recently, they had practical coursework at the affiliated veterinary hospital, so the two grabbed their gear and headed over together.

As veterinary medicine majors, treating dogs and cats came second to caring for livestock like cattle, sheep, and pigs. Even so, their route to class took them past the clinic area dedicated to cats and dogs. When Gu Jiancheng walked past the doorway, his steps came to a sudden halt.

“What’s wrong?” Zhan Yan asked.

His ears were in an uproar right now; the voices of all sorts of small animals were performing an entire symphony inside his head.

“Nothing,” Gu Jiancheng replied.

He went on attending classes, leaving class, and eating meals as usual. Late that night, after the dormitory lights went out and everyone had fallen asleep, Gu Jiancheng quietly slipped into the affiliated veterinary hospital.

The place he had sensed something amiss earlier was the room used as an operating theater for pets, where a batch of stray cats and dogs had recently been neutered during the cooler autumn days.

During his time at Beinong, Wan Yan had played the role of a cat with utmost dedication. Now that he had to leave, he couldn’t help but fret—after all, his chef was right here! Nothing could be allowed to happen to him!

Wan Yan had constantly heard the college students talk about “neutering,” which made him curious. Before leaving, he decided to drop by this terrifying execution ground in the eyes of stray cats and dogs to take a peek. Once his curiosity was satisfied, he casually left a Ghost King Seal behind, effectively declaring: This turf is under my protection!

Gu Jiancheng stared with a heavy gaze at the cat paw print concealed underneath the operating table.

Does Ghost King Wan Yan have a screw loose?!

Gu Jiancheng’s nerves, which had only relaxed for a couple of days, wound tight once more. Fortunately, realizing that Ghost King Wan Yan harbored no malicious intent kept him from losing his temper on the spot.

He recalled all the ridiculous stunts the Wish Cat had pulled and gained a whole new understanding of Mount Chaofu. If Ghost King Wan Yan was the type to pose as a stray cat just to scam free food and drinks, goodness only knew what the other Ghost Kings from Mount Chaofu were like—most likely, none of them were reliable.

That Ghost King Lin Yuan had been investigating the flesh-and-blood anomalies lately; it was best to keep as much distance from him as possible. It wouldn’t do if that one was a lunatic too, clinging to him and meddling with his serious business.

As for the cat-paw Ghost King Seal left behind by Ghost King Wan Yan, it would remain dormant under normal circumstances. But if anyone ever unleashed a large-scale offensive supernatural technique within Beinong, they would promptly get slapped down by a giant cat paw.

Let it stay, then. At least it’s a layer of protection.

Gu Jiancheng returned, pretending to know nothing about the matter, and woke up as usual the next morning to go for his morning jog with Zhan Yan.

Zhan Yan had been training every single day for nearly an entire semester now. Seeing that his stamina was holding up well, Gu Jiancheng had quietly nudged him to increase the load bit by bit. Running an extra lap compared to when they first started hardly wore him out anymore.

When they finished running, the two took a leisurely stroll around half the track, then did some stretches to prevent lactic acid buildup.

Zhan Yan propped his leg up on the railing and began stretching, his flexibility good enough to rest his forehead against his knee.

After stretching for a bit, he patted his calf and asked Gu Jiancheng with great satisfaction, “Hey, look, did I build some muscle?”

Gu Jiancheng gave it a squeeze. “It is firmer than before.”

Zhan Yan puffed up with pride. There was no way he’d ever end up in a situation where he needed his brother to carry him on his back after barely running three thousand meters!

Once he got back to working out with dumbbells, he was bound to become stronger than his sister sooner or later!

Gu Jiancheng didn’t pull his hand away, continuing to massage and relax Zhan Yan’s muscles. After running several laps, Zhan Yan was breathing hard and drenched in sweat, whereas Gu Jiancheng looked as though he had barely warmed up.

Zhan Yan poked his toned arm, intensely envious. “Hey, I don’t see you working out that much, so how do you have such incredible stamina?”

And his physique was amazing, too! The muscle lines were crisp and flowing, expanding and contracting with an athletic rhythm that looked remarkably appealing!

Gu Jiancheng generously extended his arm, letting him squeeze as much as he wanted.

“Did you ever get bonus points on your college entrance exam for sports?” Zhan Yan asked.

With Gu Jiancheng’s effortless stamina after running five kilometers, Zhan Yan felt robbed on his behalf if he hadn’t received an athletic boost.

Gu Jiancheng shook his head.

His original world shared many similarities with this one; before entering Infinite, he had also been preparing for the college entrance examinations and selecting major preferences, but he hadn’t been an athlete.

Remembering the past, Gu Jiancheng couldn’t help but fall into a daze. To him, those events belonged to a time far too distant, and he had never spoken of them to anyone else.

“Back then… I actually wanted to study human medicine,” Gu Jiancheng said with an easy smile. “Later on, through a stroke of bad luck and bizarre coincidences, I ended up taking veterinary medicine instead.”

Gazing into Zhan Yan’s bright, curious eyes, he realized that bringing up these old memories wasn’t so difficult after all.

After Infinite was destroyed, Gu Jiancheng had tumbled into this world. First, he spent time recuperating; eventually, the injuries that could heal were mostly mended, while those that couldn’t were simply left as they were. He wandered aimlessly, slaying anomalies wherever he found them. Once the chaofan forum was established, he registered an account, accepting commissions as they appeared and hunting anomalies upon completion. His existence somewhat mirrored his days back in Infinite, except that taking commissions was completely voluntary here, and the tasks were far less grueling than the dungeon sub-worlds.

He never spent the points he earned from completing missions; there was never any need for them.

In the beginning, Gu Jiancheng had tried seeking out supernatural healers and trading through Wan Shitong for rare medicines and spiritual artifacts. Unfortunately, none of them had any effect on his sequelae. Without Infinite, his affliction only worsened over time.

Eventually, he gave up.

Gu Jiancheng had walked across countless places in this world, yet he held no real impression of them, nor did he understand them. In his state, he had never been in the mood to sightsee; he merely used the missions to give himself something to do.

Later, Gu Jiancheng felt that his condition was becoming impossible to delay any longer. He couldn’t allow himself to truly turn into a madman, nor would he let Infinite wear down the very last shred of his willpower.

When he could no longer hold out, he would simply end it all.

Yet before putting an end to everything, what else could he do?

Keep hunting anomalies? Gu Jiancheng felt that spending his final days like that would be far too miserable.

And yet, he found there was nothing left that he actually desired to do.

Back in Infinite, all he had thought about every single day was how to survive and how to get out. Now that he was out, his mind was completely devoid of ambition or desire.

So Gu Jiancheng dredged up the memories from before he entered Infinite, brushed off the dust, and tried to remember if there had been anything he wanted to do back then.

Ah… back then, he had been preparing for the college entrance exam. He had wanted to become a doctor.

He had never experienced university life.

So Gu Jiancheng enlisted Wan Shitong’s help to forge an identity and sat for the exam. But a mistake occurred when filling out his major preferences, and by some strange twist of fate, he was enrolled in veterinary medicine instead.

The later Gu Jiancheng was no longer obsessed with becoming a doctor; veterinary medicine was fine too. He simply wanted to find a university and experience the college life he had come so close to having. When the day came that he could endure it no longer, he would bring it all to a close.

And then, he met Zhan Yan.

“Yan Yan.” Gu Jiancheng lowered his head, kneading his calf. “I don’t want to let go anymore.”

Gu Jiancheng had considered letting go.

The more he liked him, the more he wanted to let go; yet the more he liked him, the more impossible it felt to let go.

Back at the train station, Gu Jiancheng’s inner turmoil had surged almost beyond control. But the moment Zhan Yan began walking toward him, he couldn’t help but flee.

Zhan Yan was so wonderful—so radiant that he felt like a dream that could dissolve at any second, compelling one to seize hold of him with all their might. Yet seizing hold brought the terror that the dream would shatter into pieces.

Gu Jiancheng had agonized over it the entire way, and he kept turning it over in his mind even after reaching school. Day and night, back and forth, he burned in silent torment, refusing to utter a single syllable.

Later, on the day they were caught in the rain and took showers, Zhan Yan had asked him to help dry his hair. Only then did Gu Jiancheng realize that Zhan Yan had already placed him in the same circle as his family.

At that moment, clutching those damp little curls in the palm of his hand, Gu Jiancheng couldn’t stop the thought rising from the depths of his heart: he didn’t want to let go anymore.

You were the one who let me in first.

Zhan Yan still had leftover fruit candy in his pocket. He unwrapped two pieces, popped one into his own mouth, and stuffed the other into Gu Jiancheng’s. “Who asked you to let go in the first place?”

Propping both hands behind his back, he tilted his head up to gaze at the leisurely clouds drifting across the sky. Pulling back the leg resting on Gu Jiancheng’s thigh, his ankle bumped against the other’s knee. A bright, sunny grin spread across his face. “Hey, with all your overthinking day in and day out, you weren’t actually planning on breaking up with me, were you?”

Gu Jiancheng’s eyes darkened, the twin black orbs seemingly catching fire once more. Resting one hand beside Zhan Yan, he leaned his upper body in close.

The clouds drifted lazily away. The scent of green apple mingled with the tang of grapefruit.

Both their lips were flushed a deep, vivid red. Leaning in close to Zhan Yan’s ear, Gu Jiancheng spoke in a warm, breathless murmur: “I’m not letting go. Let’s make it official and meet the parents, all right?”

Caught completely off guard, Zhan Yan said yes before he could even think!