The twelfth plane, the capital
Xiao Wenmai was silent.
‘You didn’t tell them and I wouldn’t have known either and..’ Xiao Haolan’s voice was slightly hoarse, as if she was restraining her emotions.
‘It isn’t a bad thing that you didn’t know. It’s good for them to stay in the dark too.’ Xiao Wenmai chose a room randomly and walked in. He sat down on a couch as he rubbed the back of his head. ‘Always meddling in others’ business..’
‘You can’t do this. It isn’t even..’
‘What can’t I do?’
Xiao Haolan was silent. The two of them spoke at the same time.
‘Do you even love her?’
‘This has nothing to do with you.’
Xiao Wenmai choked on his words. He coughed a couple times before replying, ‘Yes.’
‘Then why are you doing this?’
Xiao Wenmai tried to think of a way to explain in a way his sister would understand.
‘We have an agreement. It isn’t the way you think it is. It is only our business.’
‘An agreement..’ Xiao Haolan couldn’t veil her anger. ‘And what does she get out of this?’
‘What do you think?’ Xiao Wenmai felt that he had calmed down somewhat. ‘Me, of course.’
‘..And what do you get?’
‘Her. Isn’t that how relationships work?’ Xiao Wenmai felt like laughing.
‘Don’t make fun of me. You also know what I mean, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.’ Xiao Haolan’s sigh came from the phone.
‘It isn’t how it is supposed to be, why? Because you don’t think it’s proper? Or is it because you..’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. You just wait; Tong Xiang isn’t the only card in my pocket. You’ll see soon..’
Xiao Wenmai sat up straight. ‘What are you planning to do?’
‘I would be a fool to tell you.’ Xiao Haolan laughed, the strange hoarseness still in her voice. ‘You’ll see what I’m planning. The result will be the same, you’ll understand that some things cannot be done even if they’re meant in the best possible way.’
She ended the call.
Xiao Haolan envied her brother for countless reasons and pitied him for even more. She held the phone in her hand for a couple of minutes quietly, as if she couldn’t decide what to do next.
She looked at the clock on her dresser, and stood up to walk over to it. It was half past two. She pulled a drawer open, and pulled out a photo album from under a pile of clothes.
At the same time, in the private room.
The air of the room was lively. Fang Maolin’s cousins brought their children too, who were currently playing at the side of the table. It looked like the perfect family reunion, except.. Xiao Wenmai still hadn’t come.
Zhai Xiaoyi was feeling somewhat dizzy, but he felt that he could still endure it.
He turned to Xue Liuhe next to him, ‘I have to go to the bathroom. Do you know if there’s one on the floor?’
Xue Liuhe was talking to Lin Ran, but he turned to him as soon as he heard his voice. ‘Huh?’
‘I said, do you know if there is a bathroom on this floor?’
‘Yeah, the last door to the left.’
‘Thanks.’ Zhai Xiaoyi patted him on the shoulder as he stood up.
The corridor leading up to the rooms didn’t have any windows, and the only light came from the small chandeliers overhead. Zhai Xiaoyi pressed a hand against his temple as he walked.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The phone in his pocket buzzed. It was a notification from HH.
‘If you want to participate in more difficult instances, I can arrange it. But you have to do it my way.’
He typed back, ‘Alright. What do you want me to do?’
‘Get through a B rank world and I’ll find you an A one next.’
‘Okay.’ Zhai Xiaoyi thought that Nan Zhi might have been right when he advised him not to seek death by wanting to do too much.
If he built it up one by one, he would have more of a chance to survive in higher ranking worlds.
‘Are busy at the moment?’
‘Sort of, I’m out with friends. Why?’
‘Can you get away from them?’
‘I went out to the bathroom, there is no one else around here. What do you want?’
‘That’s good enough.’
‘What? Why?’ Zhai Xiaoyi felt that he understood the other less and less as he said more.
There was no reply. Just then, he felt a new wave of dizziness sweep over him.
He gripped the phone in his hand as he propped himself up on the side of the sink. He found it hard to breathe. The sweater felt too tight around his neck, and his hair fell to cover his vision.
It felt like the nausea would never stop. As he felt the world grow dark and distant around him, he heard the faint sound of the door opening.
Some time before, in the private room.
Father Fang got bored of waiting for his soon to be son in law. He pulled out a cigarette and held it in his mouth as he rummaged through the pockets of his coat looking for a lighter.
As he looked up, he met Mother Fang’s disapproving gaze.
He shook his head slowly as he coughed, looking at his nephews on the other side of the table. He gestured towards the glass doors, ‘I’m going out for a smoke. Come and accompany me.’
The two men agreed and they stood up quickly. Xue Lihue followed them outside.
Lin Ran coughed awkwardly before turning to Fang Maolin, ‘Hey. So, how long have you known your fiance?’
Fang Maolin looked at her with a questioning gaze.
‘I mean like, when did you two meet.. I didn’t mean to..’
‘It’s alright. We met in college.’ Fang Maolin didn’t look at her anymore, and stared at the glass of water in front of her instead.
Lin Ran smiled uncomfortably, and turned back towards Tian Xihua. ‘How about you? How long have you known Liuhe and your friend?’
Tian Xihua had been busy refilling his glass, and he had a mouth full of water at the moment. His cheeks bulged as he looked at Lin Ran with wide eyes.
Just as he opened his mouth to reply after swallowing, Mother Fang spoke. ‘Lin er, I’m going to the bathroom. When I come back, your father and I will leave. We don’t have time to waste on people like Xiao Wenmai. About your marriage.. We’ll talk about it.’
Fang Maolin stood up quicker than her. ‘Mom, I’m sure he has an explanation..’
‘Doesn’t he always have one? I’m sure he’ll have one this time too. But we don’t have that kind of time. Maolin, you don’t have that kind of time.’
The two women left for the bathroom. The faint voice of Fang Maolin could still be heard before the door closed and the room quieted down.
Lin Ran and Tian Xihua were the only ones left inside with the children.
Tian Xihua replied, ‘Liuhe used to be my deskmate in elementary school, while I knew Xiaoyi even before. What about you?’
‘I’ve known Liuhe for about a month. We… Hey, are you alright?!’
Tian Xihua raised his hand to his head before his entire body went limp. Just as his temple was about to hit the table, his entire body disappeared.
Lin Ran stared at the place where he had been less than a minute ago. She didn’t react for a long time.
After a couple of minutes, she stood up slowly and walked outside, then entered the bathroom. There wasn’t anyone inside other than Fang Maolin and Mother Fang.
At the same time, on a mountaintop shrouded in grey mist.
A young man lay on the ground. Curls the color of silver framed his delicate face, and light breeze made the blades of grass sway gently as they touched his arms.
He didn’t look older than fourteen years old, and he was wearing a worn-out zip-up hoodie and dirty sneakers.
His eyelashes fluttered lightly as he frowned before opening his eyes, only to reveal a blank whiteness where his irises were supposed to be.
Someone had come to visit him.
He sat up slowly, propping himself on his arms as he watched the man gradually taking shape amidst the lazily swirling mist.
‘You came back.’ He spoke, his expression still that of indifference.
The man nodded briefly, extending his hand which held a cup of coffee that had gone cold long ago. ‘I got you coffee, but it seems that I shouldn’t have. I forgot how far your office was..’
The teenager reached out as if he wanted to hold the cup, but waved his fingers before they could reach it. The cup disappeared, and the man let his hand fall back down.
He muttered, ‘You could have just reheated it, you know.’
‘It’s several days old, what’s the use? You forgot, you always forget.. Even if you don’t travel by ordinary means, the journey will take the same amount of time. Remember next time.’
The man nodded reluctantly. He pulled out a folder and handed it to the boy. ‘These are the latest amendments. Look through them and tell me if you find anything you don’t like. What more is there.. You need to visit court within three years’ time. You have to give a date today.’
The teenager accepted the folder and opened it to look through its contents. He spoke after a couple of minutes, ‘It’s fine. She’s not as unreasonable as she used to be. Right, how’s your brother?’
The man’s smile disappeared in less than a millisecond. ‘My brother? Which one?’
‘Which one, which one has to do with her? I don’t remember his name. How’s he?’
‘My third brother is fine. He hasn’t recovered yet.’ These two sentences sounded extremely contradictory.
‘More than three thousand years and still nothing.. You know, if you have the time, the variety of treatment in this plane is quite versatile. You should let him visit one of the..’
The man interrupted him, ‘There is no need. Thank you.’ He let out a breath, and asked in a somewhat calmer manner, ‘Have you decided on the date?’
‘Sure. I’ll go towards the end of this year.’
The man hummed, writing something on a piece of paper he took out from his pocket. He nodded at the young boy, ‘I’ll be going then.’
‘So soon?’ The boy showed a displeased expression. ‘At least tell me something. Gossip, how’s it going in the main court? I’m always here and you’re the only one who can visit me. And yet, you barely come..’ He looked up at the man with puppy eyes, which would have been an undeniably cute sight if not for the pure white light in his eyes making his entire expression utterly terrifying.
The man shook his head slowly. ‘There really is nothing I know of. The universes have been expanding ever since the last addition.. The first Lord is still on the verge of death. I’m not sure what else you want to know, but I still have other places to go to.. I’ve already wasted many days here.’
The teenager agreed reluctantly, ‘I understand. Don’t forget to mention that I’ve made progress.. And next time, you can just take a car. The countryside really is gorgeous..’
The man vanished before he could finish his last sentence. The boy lay back on the ground, his expression still filled with the reluctance from before.
As he closed his eyes, the emotions disappeared from his features and he looked the exact same as he did before the man had arrived. He fell asleep.
Zhai Xiaoyi opened his eyes to an unfamiliar sight.
He was lying on a worn-out couch. The unfamiliar room around him was completely dark, only the faint brightness of the moon coming from the windows to his right.
He sat up, reaching out towards the vague outline of a coffee table in front of him. He tapped along the surface, and found a box of matches.
A moment later, a tiny, warm flame emerged from the tip of his fingers. He had held the match the wrong way.
He swore quietly and let go of the match. It extinguished itself as it fell to the ground, and the room was shrouded in complete darkness again.
Zhai Xiaoyi had an idea. He tapped his pockets, but couldn’t find his phone. The clothes he was wearing didn’t seem to be the same ones he had been wearing before passing out either.
He didn’t have any other choice but to light another one of the matches again. The warm light illuminated the room as the flame swayed.
It seemed that this was the living room of an apartment. There wasn’t anyone else inside. All of the furniture looked worn, and the room felt uncomfortably overcrowded.
There were five openings from the living room. One of them was the main entrance of the flat, while another one led to a small terrace outside. The remaining three were most likely other rooms.
Zhai Xiaoyi chose one, and opened it quietly. The match in his hands had just reached its end, and he didn’t get to have a look at the room’s inside.
As he fumbled with the box of matches in the dark, his perception of sound intensified. He stilled for a moment, and as he held his breath he heard light snoring coming from the room.
It was the sound of two people breathing at the same time. He felt a numbing feeling travel up on the back side of his head, and he stepped back to close the door as quickly as he could.
He found a match, and lit it. The living room was illuminated by the warmth once again, but he felt that the atmosphere had changed slightly.
He walked to the second door quickly, and opened it just as the light of the match went out.
Behind the second door was a small bathroom. It could be seen from the first glance that no one was inside, the only movement coming from the boy’s reflection in the mirror hung on the wall.
He closed the door, and stumbled towards the last one in the darkness. He lit a match in front of the door this time. There were about five or six ones left in the box.
He looked up, and felt his stomach jump from the sight.
There was a face, a terrifying face just a couple of centimetres from his eyes. The thing was leaning towards him from the side, an interested glint in its gaze.
The smell of rotting penetrated his nasals, and his mind became a jumbled mess. He didn’t have time to think as he opened the door in front of him and threw himself inside before slamming the door behind himself.
He had his back to the door as he listened carefully, but there didn’t seem to be any noise in the room other than his somewhat rushed breathing.
He calmed himself as he held the fist that grasped the matchbox close to his chest.
There was a key pressing into his side from the back. He turned slightly, and made sure to lock the door behind himself.
This room didn’t have a window. Since he didn’t want to waste matches just to find a better place to rest, he sat on the ground directly. He didn’t let his vigilance down, and kept listening for any possible sounds as he leant his head on the door behind himself.
Just as he was starting to feel drowsy from the silence, he heard light fumbling from the other side of the room. His fatigue disappeared without a trace as his body tensed up.
He stared into the darkness with wide eyes. Since he had been inside the room for some time now, his eyes got used to the lack of lighting and he could make out some vague shapes around himself.
From what he could see, the interior of the room was that of an ordinary bedroom. There was a large dresser to the side and a bed in the middle, with a desk and a chair to the other side. He blinked as he looked for the shape that had just moved.
The room was completely silent for a moment before the ruffling sound started again. A shadow emerged from the darkness surrounding the bed.
Zhai Xiaoyi’s clutch around the matchbox in his hand grew stronger. He fumbled to take out a match as he watched as the shape stepped closer and closer to himself.
He managed to pull one out from the box, but his hand shook and he dropped it.
He put his palm down as he tapped on the floor, looking for the match on the ground. The shape was only a couple of steps away from him as he finally picked the match up.
A moment later, warmth illuminated the room, and with that, a person only a bit more than a metre away from him.
That someone covered his eyes to shield them from the sudden brightness. He was wearing a blood red hoodie, and his hair was a disorderly mess. He didn’t appear threatening at all. Zhai Xiaoyi looked at this person in front of him, and he even found him somewhat familiar-looking.
That person waited until his eyes adjusted to the light before letting his hand down. He looked at the boy huddled up in front of the door of the dark room with bright eyes.
‘Who are you? No, where is this?’
The author has something to say:
And with that, our second arc has just begun! It’s a fun one, at least as far as strangeness goes.
A little spoiler here: TXH won’t be participating in this one. He has another, higher-level instance to get through and begin his way to the very top of the player-charts. Fun!
So I only have one question left to ask, if that’s even something that has to be asked; who do we think this new character is?
That streamer
thanks for the chapter <3