Chapter 53: CH 53

When Huo Wuling asked why he started the tasks, Ji Ning’s expression grew a little complicated for a moment.

It wasn’t that he had any reason for bitterness or hatred, but he hadn’t recalled his past for a long time. It was only because Future protected his memories that they still remained as vivid as the day they first happened. Otherwise, after experiencing so many worlds, he would have long lost himself, forgetting who he once was. 

“Actually, the reason is nothing interesting.”

He answered Huo Wuling’s question, “I was in a car accident and on the verge of death. If I go to various worlds and complete tasks I can return to my original world and survive.”

Despite saying this, Ji Ning still didn’t know how many tasks he had to do, or how many protagonists he had to seduce before he was allowed to go back. He’d once asked Future, but all he received was silence. So he could only hold onto this vague hope and persist until the day he might be able to return to his family.

Truthfully he didn’t know if he did this because he loved his family, or if he just needed a reason to keep going. It didn’t really matter, because there was no reason to separate these two ideas, they could exist simultaneously. 

“A car accident?” Huo Wuling repeated softly. He then asked, “What tasks are you asked to do in each world? Is it similar to how you were with me?”

Before Ji Ning could answer, he shrugged and said with a smile, “Maybe you have to keep that a secret? It’s okay if you can’t say it.”

Ji Ning nodded, he really couldn’t tell Huo Wuling. If Huo Wuling knew his missions were to make others fall in love with him, he worried Huo Wuling would really try and die with him. ‘To die together in the name of love.’

“I can’t think of anything else to ask for now.”

The dark haired man changed his sitting position, squeezing onto the same small sofa Ji Ning sat on and laying across his lap. Looking up at him, he said lazily, “Please continue talking about yourself.”

“What should I say?”

“Whatever you want, I’ll listen to anything you say.” Huo Wuling gave him a wicked smile, “Who wouldn’t want to know more about the person they like? You could tell me about your fetishes…”

Ji Ning resisted the urge to kick him off the sofa. After thinking about it for a while, he simply started talking about his childhood. 

He wasn’t particularly articulate and just said everything that crossed his mind, but Huo Wuling listened with great interest. He even interrupted to ask further questions from time to time, but every time he opened his mouth, Ji Ning wanted to hit him even more.

“So you also had a childhood friend.”

Huo Wuling noticed that the boy appeared frequently in Ji Ning’s stories and seemed to be important to him, “Did you not develop any kind of relationship?

“We were pure friends, it wasn’t that kind of relationship.” Ji Ning shook his head, let out a breath and said, “And he died three years before me.” 

“How did he die?”

“It was also a car accident.”

Ji Ning looked down at Huo Wuling, swearing to himself that if Huo Wuking made fun of this coincidence, he would beat him up. However, Huo Wuling seemed to understand Ji Ning’s mood and restrained his usual smile. Raising a hand to stroke Ji Ning’s hair, he said softly, “I’m sorry.”

“…” Ji Ning blinked lightly and was silent for a while before he continued, “It’s because of him that I know how much my death will affect the people around me. I don’t want my family to have to grieve for me, so I want to go back no matter what.” 

“You’re right.”

Huo Wuling turned his head to look outside the glass window into the vast night. His voice was very soft when he spoke, “Family is very important…”

“Then…what about you?”

Perhaps because he was touched by Huo Wuling’s rare sincerity just now, Ji Ning became suddenly curious, “How are your family doing?” 

For some reason, Huo Wuling’s past was never mentioned in the original novel of ‘God Killing’. In the three years he’d spent with Huo Wuling, the man had never mentioned his childhood. It could be said that he knew nothing about Huo Wuling’s past.

His background had always been a mystery to Ji Ning. Excluding Huo Wuling, Ji Ning was very well aware of each of the protagonist’s backgrounds, especially Fu Qinghan and Qin Ruwang, who he’d watched grow up.

However, Ji Ning noticed Huo Wuling’s tone seemed a little strange when he mentioned his family just now. He wondered what could have happened to Huo Wuling.

Even the grocery store – Huo Wuling claimed that this was his spiritual world, but there had to be a reason why his spiritual world was in this state. 

He remembered the last time he was here, he’d asked Huo Wuling why he kept the store’s door open and Huo Wuling said he was waiting for someone to visit him.

The more he thought about these things, the more curious Ji Ning became. Huo Wuling smiled at his question and answered.

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“I’m not upset. I’ve never had any memory of them and my adoptive father looked after me very well.”

Huo Wuling smiled bitterly, “Do you think it’s strange that the whole building died, yet I lived? I don’t understand either. They say I’m a calamity of heaven. Everyone around me will die and only I can survive.”

“I was sent to an orphanage, but the people in the orphanage also died, one by one. They were terrified of me and kicked me out. It was my adoptive father who took me in.”

“He opened a grocery store, this one here. It carries a lot of memories for me.” 

“They must be happy memories, right?” Ji Ning asked in a low voice.

Huo Wuling curled his lip, “Yes, I have happy memories, but I also watched my adoptive father die here. Someone tried to rob the shop and my adoptive father was stabbed by that person in order to protect me. I didn’t let that man go, I stabbed him so many times his intestines fell out and he died on this sofa.”

“…”

Ji Ning didn’t know what to say. He wanted to comfort Huo Wuling but it didn’t seem to be the right thing to do, but praising him would be even worse, so he could only keep silent. 

Huo Wuling’s expression remained indifferent as he said, “The people close to me will die, those who bully me will die and those who speak ill of me will also die, no one can survive. No one around me lives for very long. I couldn’t see anyone’s hair turn grey, not even I-”

He stopped speaking abruptly and stood up from the sofa, walking to the store’s door to look out onto the dark, rainy street.

Ji Ning wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but it bothered him that Huo Wuling’s face didn’t have a trace of a smile. Not only that, there was a deep frown in his eyebrows that Ji Ning had only seen a few times, which made him immediately stand up and turn his own gaze to the desolate street.

“Someone’s coming.” 

Huo Wuling walked out of the shop and closed the door behind him, saying coldly, “Ningning, don’t come out.”

Ji Ning moved in front of the window and looked outside as the street lamps lit up one by one and countless dark figures poured out of the shops on both sides of the street, heads twisting towards Huo Wuling.

A figure dressed in white gradually appeared from the mass of shadows, the light from the street lamps shining off his long dark hair, giving him a lazy halo. He didn’t carry an umbrella, but despite the steady rainfall, not a drop of water fell on him.

The dark figures surged towards him, stretching out thin, shadowy hands. The stranger glanced casually towards them and they drew backwards, screaming with shrill voices as they slithered back into the shops they came from. 

Finally, he stood still and his face was clearly visible under the dim light. He looked as handsome as ever, his peach blossom eyes staring through the window as they met with Ji Ning’s. He showed Ji Ning a smile that was not quite a smile and said.

“This place is also connected to you? Ji Ning, how many more people are you going to mess around with?”

It was Yun Yuan!

Ji Ning fell backwards onto the sofa in shock, his face turning pale with fright. 

This was obviously Huo Wuling’s spiritual world, how could Yun Yuan find this place?!

Thud…thud…bang!

The ground beneath them trembled violently, and even the glass jars on the storage rack shook, rattling against each other before they smashed to the floor, one after another.

Crash- 

The shop windows on both sides of the street shattered as a violent wind tore through the buildings. The shadows let out high pitched screams as most of them were sucked into the wind.

The lights flickered on and off threateningly. The moment when Huo Wuling was about to be pulled away too, he turned to look at Ji Ning inside the grocery store and made a harsh pushing gesture. Lost in the darkness, Ji Ning felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath him, before he woke up suddenly and found he was back inside the sleeping pod.

Being forced out of Huo Wuling’s spiritual space, Ji Ning was drenched in cold sweat, terrified that something had happened to him. He wrenched open the door of the sleeping pod and fell out of it. Squatting on the floor, he touched his own shadow, shouting anxiously, “Huo Wuling? Huo Wuling!”

“What’s going on?” 

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Ark and Fu Ji hadn’t entered their sleeping pods yet. Seeing Ji Ning’s erratic behaviour, Fu Ji hurriedly asked him what had happened. Ark moved closer to him, taking his hand and looking at him with worried eyes.

“Huo Wuling, he…”

Ji Ning didn’t know how to explain it to them, or how he could help Huo Wuling. Fortunately, Huo Wuling appeared seconds later, his figure slightly more transparent than before.

“Are you all right?” Ji Ning stood up abruptly, moving towards him. 

Seeing his anxious expression, the grim expression on Huo Wuling’s face eased into a soft smile, the corner of his lips hooking up, “Something’s wrong with me, I’m dying. I need you to kiss me better.”

“…” Ji Ning’s heart fell back from his throat in an instant and he glared at Huo Wuling. If he still had the energy to joke around, the problem couldn’t be a big deal.

“But that man was really powerful. Under normal circumstances, I couldn’t be his opponent.” Huo Wuling squinted his eyes and said, “I passed through several worlds in a row before I could shake him off. If I didn’t have that ability, I’d be in a dangerous situation.”

“Through…worlds?” 

Fu Ji was a little confused. He didn’t know when Huo Wuling had managed to fight with someone, but he understood that Huo Wuling had met with a formidable opponent. He asked solemnly, “Is it someone from the Mo Ling Empire?”

Huo Wuling shook his head without explaining any further. He turned towards Ji Ning and raised an eyebrow, “He’s coming after you, why do you always mess with such powerful people?”

“It was the little fish again…” Was it another lover?

Fu Ji almost blurted this out, but after glancing at Ark, he swallowed the second half of his sentence. Instead, he came up with a sinister idea, “Since this person is also after the little fish, why don’t we find a way to lead him to the Emperor of Mo Ling? If we’re lucky, they’ll get rid of each other.” 

Ji Ning heard his words but didn’t say anything. He knew that Yun Yuan’s true body was still inside the void. What appeared just now should only be his divine consciousness. He didn’t know exactly how powerful Yun Yuan was, but if Yun Yuan really appeared, Ji Ning was afraid he could only be killed by destroying the entire planet.

The fleet of the Mo Ling Empire could reach such a scale of destruction and had the ability to destroy planets, but that was under the assumption that Yun Yuan would just stand still and let them attack him. Without thinking about it for long, Yun Yuan had thousands of ways to make their attacks worthless.

The fact that Yun Yuan had found him along the thread of fate terrified Ji Ning. Now that Yun Yuan had found Huo Wuling’s spiritual world, he wasn’t far away from this world. If the worlds on both sides became completely merged, all the protagonists would have gathered together…

Ji Ning’s heart trembled when he thought of the dream he’d had before. 

He hadn’t crossed to another world for some time. The last time he crossed he learned that Yun Yuan and Fu Qinghan had become master and apprentice, and was so shocked he’d run away.

But he was also aware he couldn’t escape forever. He wanted to help Qin Ruwang recover his memory and he wanted to release Ying Qianqiu from the forbidden formation. He was going to wait until he was in a more stable position in this world before returning, but Yun Yuan’s sudden arrival scared him and he really didn’t dare go back.

For the moment, Yun Yuan was only aware of the fate between him and Huo Wuling. If he discovered there were even more people he was entangled with, he would really die! He could try committing suicide, but even if he died the line of fate between them wouldn’t be broken and Yun Yuan would still be able to find him…

Just imagining this scene made Ji Ning shudder. He knew that he should go back and explain to Yun Yuan right now, but he hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of seeing him. Finally, he decided to let it go for a day and leave for another world tomorrow. 

Because of Yun Yuan’s appearance, Huo Wuling was a little more patient and sat down to talk with Ark. But their personalities really didn’t match and after just a few minutes, they started arguing again.

Ji Ning hurriedly grabbed Huo Wuling and asked him to return to his shadow to recuperate. He stroked Ark’s hair in apology, trying to stabilise the two of them, before everyone returned to their sleeping pods and went to bed for the night.

Before going to sleep, Ji Ning didn’t forget to contact Herinos, informing him that he had escaped from the Mo Ling Empire. He also asked Herinos why he’d left and whether he needed any help.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m not in any trouble.” 

Herinos chuckled softly, his voice low and magnetic, sounding very pleasant. “A new blood queen is about to be born. We nobles must be present and make various preparations.”

He paused, then laughed again, “The new queen is a descendant of Flora. Do you still remember Flora?”

“Of course I do.”

Ji Ning replied. He couldn’t possibly forget Flora as she was the heroine of the blood clan novel and the first target Ji Ning was supposed to seduce. Unfortunately, Flora fell in love with the second male lead and he had to change his attack target to Herinos. Since then, he’d embarked on a road of no return of seducing male protagonists… 

If his targets were all cute girls, would he be in such a terrible situation today? Every one of his protagonists was more terrifying and possessive than the last…

Thinking of the opportunity he’d missed, Ji Ning felt a sense of melancholy. He continued to chat with Herinos, but did not mention Yun Yuan.

When he heard that they were travelling to the Interstellar Paradise, Herinos smiled and said, “When I’ve finished dealing with this place I’ll go there too.”

“Are you also interested in the Interstellar Paradise?” 

Ji Ning thought about the blood clan and the prince’s elegant and mysterious temperament. No matter how he looked at it, he didn’t match with a sunny paradise at all.

“I’m not interested in the paradise itself.” Herinos said gently, “But I’ve said that I want to pursue you, so naturally I don’t want you visiting such a romantic place alone with another man.”

Ji Ning coughed dryly, “I’m not alone, isn’t there still Fu Ji…” and Huo Wuling. That tricky guy liked appearing out of nowhere.

“Him?” Herinos smiled indulgently, “I think he’ll quickly find an excuse to leave his friend alone with you.” 

“I’ve picked up a new job so the two of you should play together. I’ve lost so much money recently, if I don’t earn something soon I’ll jump out of my spaceship!”

The next morning, before the spacecraft landed on the reception planet of the paradise, Fu Ji spoke to them. He remained in his slime body disguise, his red hair looking particularly eye-catching, “I need to go do my job, so I’ll have to leave you alone for a bit. Have fun you two, make sure you pay me back the ticket expenses!”

“Okay.”

Before Ji Ning could react, the white haired angel nodded quickly, as if he knew about these circumstances in advance. 

He secretly wanted to hold Ji Ning’s hand, but felt too shy. Finally, he held one of Ji Ning’s fingers and said softly, “I’m very happy to be here with you.”

“I’m also happy.” Ji Ning smiled, feeling a little strange. He wouldn’t have thought much about this if Herinos hadn’t mentioned it before.

He’d attacked so many protagonists in the past, but now it seemed that one of them was trying to seduce him back, and by using such a youthful method.

It was just too cute! 

Ji Ning smiled and took the initiative to hold Ark’s hand. The angel’s wings twitched slightly and his face flushed, but he immediately clutched Ji Ning’s hand tighter.

Fu Ji grinned and secretly gave the angel a thumbs up, wishing him success. Once the spacecraft landed, he quickly disappeared into a crowd of tourists, giving them an opportunity to be alone.

Ji Ning and Ark left the spacecraft and were greeted by a vast expanse of white mist. Several cute elf like creatures flew out, explaining with sweet voices that they could freely change their appearances.

This interplanetary park was an oversized theme park. Before they entered, visitors were encouraged to dress up and change their appearances, using a holographic projection simulation. 

Because Ark already had wings, he didn’t make any major changes, but tried to appear more like an angel, wearing an intricately stitched white robe and a halo on top of his head. When his long white hair fluttered around him, it really seemed as if an angel had descended into the world.

Seeing his choice, Ji Ning had a mischievous idea. He dressed himself as a little devil, with two small horns poking out from the top of his hair and a slender tail that swayed gently behind him.

Originally the little devil package came with a tiny pair of leather shorts that showed off his legs, but Ji Ning felt this kind of clothing was too shameful. Finally, he decided on a tight fitting priest’s uniform. After all, the little devil priest appearance was also tempting.

After confirming their holographic appearances, the fog surrounding them disappeared and Ji Ning could see the blue sky above them. The space surrounding them was vast, but there were bustling staff and tourists everywhere. The huge, transparent passageway extended in all directions, flying constant shuttles to other planets within the paradise. 

Before they arrived here, Ji Ning hadn’t done the relevant homework and had no idea what kind of attractions there were. Although Ark had made some preparations, he was happy for Ji Ning to choose which planet they visited first. The two went to the visitor centre in order to look at the Paradise’s holographic introduction.

The contrast between the beautiful angel and the seductive demon attracted the attention of some tourists around them. Someone asked if they could take pictures, but Ji Ning politely declined. Even if he and Ark had a slight disguise, he didn’t want to risk leaving any evidence that could reveal their whereabouts.

“Mr Zhou, please come here. What you see here is the fastest growing project of the Interstellar Paradise, which has attracted billions of tourists as of today…”

A gentle female voice patiently introduced the Interstellar Paradise’s most successful features. When Ji Ning heard the sound, he turned to join in the fun and listen, but unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a familiar person. 

A young and handsome man dressed sharply in a suit and tie stood inside the group listening to the woman’s explanation. He frowned slightly as the holographic video played in front of him, whilst the people around him spoke quickly in low voices. The group was obviously not here to play, but to investigate official business.

Ji Ning’s eyes widened slightly.

It was Zhou Rin.

Look, even I’d forgotten who Zhou Rin was – the poor abandoned child (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡ 

This might be one of my favourite chapters in the novel – there’s just something so heartfelt about Ji Ning and Huo Wuling’s conversation (another reason why I love him so much) and I love that this is the first time you see how much Huo Wuling matters to Ningning.

Ji Ning is someone who doesn’t say how he feels out loud, but instead uses his actions, so the raw panic he felt when he thought he’d lost Huo Wuling really makes it obvious how much he cares (even though he pretends not to!)

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