Chapter 54: Yin Ruoxu Must Die

Shen Yu turned back to look at him, a cruel and resolute smile tugging at his lips with a mad glint in his eyes.

“Yin Ci, your heartless, despicable beast of a father slaughtered over ten thousand people from my clan. What makes you think I would ever let him go? You’re far too naive!”

“Uncle Shen…” Yin Ci murmured weakly, his eyes dim and lifeless; even the blood-red tear mole on his face seemed to sink into his skin.

The black ball creature howled lowly, “Awooo~”

“Don’t call me that; it disgusts me!”

Shen Yu stared at him in silence for a long while, then broke into a bright, bitter laugh.

“Do you know what I felt when Sister Su died in my arms? Do you know how much effort it took to infiltrate Rimuli under a false identity? Do you have any idea what it cost me to bring down Yin Ruoxu and make him pay for his crimes in blood? You don’t know any of it!”

“Uncle Shen… when I was little and practicing swordsmanship, I would often get hurt… you bandaged me… gave me candy… you were my Uncle Shen…” Yin Ci’s voice was shaky.

Shen Yu grabbed Yin Ci by the collar.

“Yin Ci, every time I treated your wounds, I was faking it! I despised you the entire time! I wanted nothing more than to kill you because you’re his son! Every time you called me ‘Uncle Shen,’ it was like I had to politely address that beast as ‘Master Yin,’ and it made me sick! I’m telling you, I will never forgive him. I want to watch him be reviled, torn apart, and ground into pulp!”

Shen Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, his words becoming more intense the longer he spoke.

Outside, the torrential rain beat down on the eaves, producing a sharp, crackling sound.

Yin Ci’s face turned pale, his body swaying as Shen Yu shook him.

Tears streamed down his face like a flood.

“Uncle Shen… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… just kill me. Let me pay for my father’s debt. Would that satisfy you?”

A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by Yin Ci’s soft sobs and the relentless downpour outside.

After what felt like an eternity, Shen Yu finally shoved Yin Ci away and muttered, “I won’t kill you… but Yin Ruoxu’s life is mine.”

Without staying for dinner, Shen Yu walked straight upstairs.

A loud growl came from Jiang Ziyou’s stomach, which he awkwardly scratched. Picking up his bowl, he said, “Master says, ‘People are like iron, and food is like steel. If you don’t eat, you’ll feel faint.’ Junior brother, eat something.”

Suddenly, Yin Ci jumped up and ran out into the rain.

“Awooo!” Coal ball ran after him.

“Yin Ci!” Jiang Niannian got up to chase after him, concerned for him, but a hand stopped her.

“Niannian, it’s raining outside.”

“But Yin Ci, he…”

Yin Buqi calmly said, “Let him cry. Once he’s tired, he’ll come back. He needs to grow up.”

Jiang Niannian looked out at the heavy rain but eventually sat back down.

The meal was somber, with everyone eating distractedly.

…

As soon as they went upstairs, the door opened with a bang and slammed shut.

Yin Buqi swiftly scooped up Jiang Niannian, carried her past the screen through layers of curtains, and placed her on the bed.

There was urgency—so much urgency.

He pinned her hand to the headboard while his other arm wrapped around her waist.

Most of Yin Buqi’s body pressed down on her, his red eyes blazing with desire.

“Niannian,” he breathed.

Jiang Niannian gulped, taking in his unrestrained demeanor.

Nervously, she asked, “Do you… want a kiss?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Yin Buqi couldn’t hold back any longer.

Grabbing her chin, he kissed her deeply.

Jiang Niannian was caught completely off guard.

“Mm…”

Yin Buqi’s clothes were in disarray, his black hair and red eyes exuding an intoxicating allure.

He lowered his head, his crimson lips trailing down her neck.

Jiang Niannian shivered, recalling the three days and nights they had spent together before.

Trembling, she tried to resist.

“We’ve been on the road all day…”

Yin Buqi’s voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, thick with seduction.

“Niannian, you can sleep, I’ll handle the rest. No need to worry.”

“I’m dirty, I haven’t bathed yet…”

“Are you suggesting we bathe together? I wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s not what I meant, I…”

Yin Buqi raised his head, his expression pitiful, using the face Jiang Niannian found impossible to resist.

“Niannian, you promised me. Are you going back on your word now? You liar.”

After a brief stare-off, Jiang Niannian gave in.

…

Outside, Yin Ci ran aimlessly through the pouring rain, shouting to vent his pain.

He slipped on a stone and fell face-first into the mud, his hair a tangled mess, drenched and miserable.

“Awooo~” Coal ball ran over, gently licking his face, as if trying to comfort him.

Yin Ci sobbed, his voice shaking.

“I can’t forgive him… but he’s my father…”

He lay in the mud for a long time until he realized something was off.

Looking up, his swollen eyes scanned the surroundings—his little Coal ball was gone.

Had it left him too?

Just when despair began to settle in, footsteps approached.

Soon, something blocked the rain above him.

Yin Ci looked up to see a boy squatting beside him, with a strikingly heroic brow, bronze skin, and bright, black eyes.

The boy had a large banana leaf draped over him and horns and a tail that hadn’t fully taken shape.

Yin Ci stared wide-eyed in shock.

“You’re… Coal ball?!”

The boy nodded.

“It’s me.”

“How did you…”

“The Yin energy in Qinghe Town was too much. I guess I ate too much and transformed.”

The boy scratched his head sheepishly, then pursed his lips.

“If my mate doesn’t like how I look, I can always change back.”

“Who cares about your looks?” Yin Ci grumbled, lying back in the mud, ignoring him.

“I was born in the Underworld. After people die, if their souls don’t disperse, they go there. I’ve been there since I took shape… absorbing the Yin energy of the Underworld. Every day, I’d hear wails and cries, but sometimes there were happy sounds too. Don’t be sad. Your father will end up there after he dies. Next time I go back, I’ll take you with me, and you can see him.”

Yin Ci stopped crying, squinting his swollen eyes at him.

“Really?”

The boy nodded.

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Yin Ci seemed to catch a glimpse of hope.

“How do you get to the Underworld?”

The boy shook his head.

“I don’t know how to go back yet…”

“Then how did you come to the mortal realm?”

“…I forgot.”

Yin Ci: “…”

After a long silence, Yin Ci buried his face in the mud and cried for a long time.

The boy said nothing more, silently squatting beside him, holding the banana leaf to shield him from the rain.