RoCD Chapter 94

It was unclear whether it was because of what Bai Qu had said or because of his attitude of excluding him that Su Ling was so angry.

His expression turned grim as he glared at Bai Qu, and he couldn’t help but let out a low growl. “You have no right to decide her fate like this.”

“I… can’t?”

As if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world, Bai Qu forcefully shrugged off Su Ling’s hold and stood up, fixing him with an intense stare. “No one understands her better than I do, Su Ling. How long do you think a person like Youyou could survive alone in the Main God Space or in the real world? She gets deceived again and again right under our noses. If we were both dead, who could she possibly rely on? What’s more…”

The corner of his lip curled as Bai Qu said with utter certainty, “You know it. Even if Youyou knew what I was planning, she wouldn’t resist. Because she relies on me; she instinctively trusts that I would never harm her.”

This was an instinct he had once carefully cultivated, all to make it easier to open the little girl’s long-closed-off heart. But now… A single, clear tear slid from the corner of his eye, landing on the floor and kicking up a tiny puff of dust. His eyelashes trembled as he looked at Youyou, his gaze filled with sorrow.

In truth, if there were any other choice, how could he have made such a decision? After all, no one wanted her to live a good life more than he did.

“Bai… Qu.”

Reason told Su Ling that Bai Qu’s decision was the right one, but he was still furious—so furious he felt he was about to explode.

“Then what about me?! Where does that leave me?!”

If it weren’t for the fact that Bai Qu had once confessed his feelings for him during a moment of crisis, and if their long time together hadn’t made it clear that Bai Qu also loved him deeply, Su Ling would certainly be doubting the depth of Bai Qu’s feelings right now.

His dark, star-like eyes were filled with fury. Su Ling’s jaw was clenched, and he was on the very brink of explosive anger.

“Did you think that if you both died, I would live on alone? Bai… Qu, I am not the little fool. So don’t you dare do this under the pretext of it being for my own good.”

He was being given a chance to live, to have more and better choices, but had Bai Qu even considered for a moment that he, Su Ling, didn’t care about any of that?

Striding toward Bai Qu, he grabbed him by the shoulders, the corners of his eyes reddening as he growled, “Bai Qu, you listen to me. I don’t need your kindness, and I certainly don’t need you to let me go. Do you think I’d have the strength to live on without you? No! I wouldn’t! I wouldn’t forget you, and I would never love anyone else. You think I’d have a chance to start over, but just think about it—if you lost me, would you…?”

“Would you find someone else to take my place?”

Bai Qu: “…”

Not believing for a moment that Su Ling would hurt him, Bai Qu’s expression remained calm. He gazed into Su Ling’s reddened, moist eyes and nodded with the utmost seriousness.

“If I came across someone that Youyou didn’t dislike, and who I also found acceptable… yes, I would.”

“Bai… QU!”

For a few moments, his handsome face was contorted with rage. Su Ling glared at Bai Qu, breathing raggedly. “You can forget about it,” he snarled. “I will never give you the chance to cheat on me.”

“Is that so?”

He raised an eyebrow noncommittally, allowing Su Ling to keep his grip. The corners of his slender eyes curved, almost imperceptibly.

Perhaps it was because even the strongest, most rational of men can’t help but feel pleased by their lover’s confession. Bai Qu found that his gloomy, tangled mood had, strangely, lifted considerably.

He suddenly leaned his head against Su Ling’s chest and let out a soft sigh. “I’m so tired.”

The tension he had been holding in his nerves suddenly drained away. Bai Qu felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, so profound he didn’t even want to move.

Hearing this rare show of vulnerability from his lover, Su Ling’s heart instantly softened. All the violent rage drained from him, and he could no longer be bothered with his anger. He gently carried Bai Qu to the living room sofa, knelt on one knee, and kissed his cheek.

“Go to sleep. I’ll watch over you here.”

“Youyou.”

Unable to stop himself, Su Ling covered Bai Qu’s mouth, taking a rarely assertive stance. “Don’t worry,” he insisted. “I will watch over the little fool and make sure nothing happens to her! …You haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in so long. So, please, stop overthinking, okay?”

Feeling a profound sense of helplessness at his lover’s overly rational nature, Su Ling pretended to be fierce and gave Bai Qu’s ear a light bite. He growled in a low, muffled voice, “Hurry up and sleep. Close your eyes, now. No more talking!”

Bai Qu: “…”

“Fine.”

Occasionally letting this troublemaker play the macho man isn’t so bad.

The room gradually grew quiet.

Meanwhile, in the system space, Xixi, who had been observing all along, was stunned. It had never known that its Host’s brother saw it that way: as something that deceived its Host, harmed its Host, and took advantage of her naivety to instill many bad and twisted ideas in her. Although its Host’s brother hadn’t mentioned it by name, Xixi knew it was one of “them.”

After all, in the very beginning, it really had tricked its Host into binding with it.

For a moment, Xixi’s core trembled violently. It silently gazed at its Host’s sleeping face, struck by the realization that if she hadn’t been bound to it, its Host should have been very happy. She had Bai Qu, a brother who was so good to her, and also Su Ling, who was cold on the outside but soft on the inside—who often bullied her but would also patiently play with her and make her laugh. And with the two of them around, its Host would surely have lived a smooth life, a lifetime without worry.

Youyou didn’t know what had transpired while she slept, so when she woke up, she was still all smiles, radiating an aura of youthful vitality.

She slipped on her shoes, got out of bed, and walked out. When she saw Su Ling sitting on the living room carpet, her eyes lit up, and she was about to speak. But before she could, Su Ling quickly gestured for her to be quiet, indicating that Bai Qu was resting.

Understanding, she covered her mouth. Youyou tiptoed over and sat down in front of Su Ling, looking for all the world like a quirky little jerboa[mfn]now…this is just a jumping mouse. you can look it up, but um, it’s very funny looking and might be upsetting to some[/mfn].

His eyelid twitching speechlessly, Su Ling tapped Youyou on the head and grumbled, “What are you doing?”

Why does she give me the feeling she’s a little thief up to no good?

“Ouch! Don’t hit my forehead, that hurts, you bully! You’re so annoying!” Glaring indignantly at Su Ling, Youyou rubbed the sore spot before suddenly lunging for the sofa and shoving him aside.

“You—”

This idiot has really gotten bold, Su Ling thought menacingly.

“Hmph.”

After a soft huff, Youyou knelt properly on the floor. She rested her chin on one hand, which was propped on the sofa, while her other hand gently fiddled with the hem of Bai Qu’s shirt.

“Brother’s gotten thinner.”

Her fair, delicate little face was completely serious. Youyou’s pink, cherry-like lips were slightly pursed, and her limpid black eyes, as clear as if washed by water, were veiled with a hint of worry.

This was the face she had known her entire life. Although he could be incredibly long-winded and naggy at times, Youyou knew he was genuinely good to her.

Looking closely at Bai Qu’s slightly furrowed brow, Youyou thought for a moment. Then, mimicking how Bai Qu had treated her before, she reached out to smooth his brow. She leaned her fluffy little head close to his ear and whispered in a soft, sweet voice, “Don’t be afraid, Bai Qu. I’m here. Don’t be afraid. There, there.”

The delicate little girl, acting like a little adult and saying things she herself didn’t fully understand, was a sight that Su Ling found both exasperating and amusing. But when he saw that Bai Qu’s constantly furrowed brow actually did begin to smooth out, Su Ling’s face darkened, and he felt a wave of indignant frustration wash over him.

Why?!

Why?!

Why was it that no matter how much he tried to comfort him, Bai Qu showed no reaction, but the moment the little fool barely touched him, it was as if his fur had been smoothed the right way?

A wave of envy, jealousy, and hate surged up from within him. Su Ling watched the affectionate scene between the two of them, trying to endure it, but in the end, he couldn’t overcome his jealousy. He slung an arm across the little girl’s waist and unceremoniously hauled her into the adjoining dining room.

“Ngh—”

Lifted up by the waist, Youyou instinctively wanted to scream, but she quickly realized who it was and fell silent, allowing Su Ling to carry her off.

“Be a good girl and buy some puzzles from the System Store to play with. Don’t disturb Bai Qu’s sleep anymore, understand?”

He placed the little girl on a mahogany chair by the dining table, and Su Ling forced a smile. “Also, you know what they say: men and women shouldn’t be overly familiar. You’re a big girl now, so from now on, you can’t just go and touch Bai Qu whenever you want.”

“Huh?”

Faced with the little girl’s completely clueless expression, Su Ling hid his guilt and continued, “Think about it. When you were very little, didn’t Bai Qu hold you all the time?”

Youyou tilted her head, thought for a moment, and nodded.

“Then, as you got older, he started holding you a lot less, right? For instance, it was only when you were sick, or extremely tired, that he would…”

Youyou blinked dazedly and nodded.

“There you have it.”

A soft, kind smile appeared on his face as Su Ling continued to patiently persuade her. “Because Little Youyou has grown up, Bai Qu naturally started keeping a distance from you. So, conversely, shouldn’t Little Youyou do the same?”

Seeing Youyou’s silence, Su Ling added, “Of course, keeping a distance doesn’t mean your relationship with Bai Qu has weakened. On the contrary, Bai Qu will always be your brother, the brother who loves you most.”

“I… I…”

In terms of eloquence, a hundred Youyous would be no match for Su Ling—a mentally sound grown man, an old fox who had experienced countless worlds. However, because this involved the most important person to her, Bai Qu, Youyou’s attitude on this matter became unprecedentedly stubborn and firm. Pursing her cherry-pink lips slightly, she stared at Su Ling and said, word by word, “I did not touch Bai Qu ‘whenever I want'[mfn]Youyou is using Su Ling’s words against him lmao. he said this exact phrase last chapter[/mfn].”

She stressed the words “whenever I want” heavily. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Besides, Bai Qu never said I couldn’t.”

In Youyou’s heart, if Bai Qu didn’t forbid something, it meant it was allowed. And even if Bai Qu did forbid something, she could still do it secretly—like eating hot pot, iced congee, and many, many other things Bai Qu had banned.

So…

“I’m not listening to you, you… big… meanie!”

When dealing with Su Ling, with whom she often bickered, Youyou’s demeanor couldn’t help but gain a sharp edge, because they were used to arguing with each other. Her reaction when Su Ling had deliberately knocked over the dominoes she had painstakingly, almost finished setting up had been much more intense than this.

Watching the little girl who had been soft and cute just a moment ago suddenly bristle with hostility, her whole demeanor becoming wary, Su Ling’s mouth twitched. He said drily.

“Alright, then. Have it your way.”

He had spoken in vain.

Youyou: …

Doing as Su Ling had suggested, Youyou bought a several-hundred-piece puzzle from the System Store and began playing with it in earnest, no longer disturbing Bai Qu. In the end, however, Su Ling still couldn’t escape a beating. This was because, in Bai Qu’s own words:

“You damn troublemaker, everything you were worried about, I’ve already been teaching her subtly all this time, alright?… From the way she dresses to how she speaks and acts. Otherwise, why do you think I beat you up that time you let her see you half-naked, wearing nothing but a pair of pants?… Su Ling, I’m asking you to use your brain. Youyou might be a little naive, but has she ever said or done anything out of line?… This ‘keep a distance’ nonsense—is your brain broken?”

Whenever it came to matters concerning Youyou, Bai Qu would turn into a Tyrannosaurus. Su Ling silently endured the beating, not daring to let Bai Qu find out he’d said all those things simply because he was jealous.

Just like that, Youyou settled down in Asura City.

Thanks to the system BUG, they were never short on supplies or weapons. However, as the sea of blood encroached further into the city, they inevitably began to run into other taskers.

Vicious, sharp, and full of malice.

This was Youyou’s impression of these taskers.

Although they never did anything to her in front of Bai Qu and Su Ling, nor did they try to kill her like that beautiful young man from before, that gaze—like thorns on her back, like she was meat on a chopping block—still terrified her.

As the timeline rolled forward to the present, Asura City was already little different from hell—all kindness and beauty were on the verge of being completely buried. Evil festered, and madness took hold. Every tasker struggled desperately to survive, no matter the method, no matter the price.

Among the remaining taskers, nearly every person had hands stained with blood; nearly every person survived by walking over mountains of bones.

The scenes of slaughter among the countless taskers were exceptionally cruel and bloody.

Everyone’s nerves were stretched taut, as if they would snap at any second.

And although Bai Qu and Su Ling could control themselves and not kill in front of Youyou, slaughter was a common sight throughout Asura City. The utterly inhuman scenes she occasionally glimpsed from the window were enough to shock Youyou into sickness.

Lying on the bed, groggy and pale—in a body manifested from her soul that shouldn’t have been able to get sick—Youyou still found it hard to breathe, and her entire body ached with discomfort. Clear teardrops rolled down her cheeks, one after another, beyond her control.

“Bai Qu, Bai Qu.”

The agony of having one’s entire worldview shattered and forcibly reassembled was something even an ordinary person couldn’t bear, let alone someone like Youyou. Clutching tightly to Bai Qu’s hand, her eyes blurry with tears, her once lustrous and flawless little face was now stained with an aura of gray despair. “I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t.”

“Youyou, this is just a game.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at her gently, Bai Qu explained just as he always had. “Didn’t Brother tell you? All the taskers here are in a soul state, including you, me, and Su Ling. Right now, Youyou’s body is lying safe and sound at home. The so-called death here is just the soul returning to its original place, nothing more. So don’t be afraid. None of this is real.”

Seeing Youyou open her mouth as if to say something, Bai Qu shook his head. “You can’t escape this through death, Youyou. That’s against the rules of the game.”

“Everything I taught you before was the good side of human nature. But now, Brother wants you to see just how evil people can be when they embrace their dark side.”

“So, Youyou has to stay with Brother and see this through to the end.”

Youyou: …

Knowing that Bai Qu’s decisions were impossible to change, Youyou wiped away her tears and said weakly, her voice hoarse, “Then… will I become like that too?”

Become terrifying, crazed, irrational, and cruel as a demon.

“You won’t.”

He said this with absolute certainty. Bai Qu’s lips curved into a smile, as if amused by her needless worry.

“With Brother here, no one will ever be able to change you.”

“Then promise me. As soon as we clear the game, we’ll leave this place immediately.”

Hooking Bai Qu’s little finger with her own, Youyou pulled it back and forth with a very solemn, childish expression.

Bai Qu found this very amusing and softly said, “Okay.”

He watched over Youyou until she fell asleep, then sighed in a low voice, “What am I supposed to do with you?”

Given the little girl’s disposition, she couldn’t possibly bear the truth of Asura City. And with her in this state, how could he ever tell her about his decision?

…

What Bai Qu didn’t know, however, was that while Youyou was crying, the sea of blood had erupted into chaos once more.

But this time was different. A mysterious woman—with red hair, red eyes, and dressed in a red cloak—emerged from the sea of blood and stepped ashore.

The woman was devastatingly beautiful. Lotuses formed with her every step; crimson flowers of blood bloomed where she walked, only to shatter the moment she passed[mfn]This is a reference to a Buddhist motif, that’s associated with Buddha’s birth, where lotuses bloomed in his footsteps. In a fantasy context, it shows a being of immense power, divinity, or otherworldly nature. The fact that they are “blood flowers” adds a sinister twist[/mfn].

An unknown amount of time had passed by the time Bai Qu realized there was another person in the room.

Utterly horrified, he looked toward the corner. The moment he saw the newcomer’s face clearly, four large characters flashed through his mind.

Vampire… Enchantress.

The woman was bathed in a color like blood; from head to toe, the only thing visible was her face—a face that was devastatingly beautiful and crimson, yet ice-cold and merciless.

“Who are you?”

Warily, Bai Qu stared at this humanoid female with her red clothes and red eyes, which were coolly inorganic and looked nothing like a human’s at all. He gently moved Youyou’s hand away, his own hand inching toward the blade at his waist.

“Who am I?”

As if stumped by Bai Qu’s question, the woman’s red eyes flickered. Her voice was as indifferent and flat as a robot’s.

“I have many names. I wonder which one you are asking about?”

Step by step, she walked toward Bai Qu—no, toward Youyou on the bed. The woman’s face contorted, and she suddenly revealed an expression that struck Bai Qu as familiar. “White Tiger Emperor, long time no see.”

The bewitching yet gentle smile strangely made the woman seem vibrant and alive. Bai Qu was profoundly shaken and said in disbelief, “Yao Yue?! Yan Yueyao?!”

How is that possible?

How could she be here?

“Ah, yes. It is I, of course.”

Taking advantage of Bai Qu’s shock, Yao Yue pounced on Youyou from the other side of the bed. Pinning Youyou down, blanket and all, she impatiently kissed her on the lips. “Youyou, I’ve missed you so much. I missed you so much my heart ached to death.”

Youyou, who had only just barely managed to fall asleep, was naturally unable to respond.

But Yao Yue paid it no mind. As if afflicted with a desperate hunger and thirst, she kissed Youyou deeply, without the slightest hesitation.

Seeing this, Bai Qu’s eyelid twitched violently, but he did not stop her.

After all, Yao Yue had gone through the wedding ceremony with Youyou, served tea to the elders, and was a legal partner whom he had already acknowledged.

However, just as Bai Qu was forcefully suppressing his murderous impulse, he saw the woman, who had been so desperately eager just a moment ago, suddenly freeze. Then, she quietly withdrew her tongue and her face returned to one of cold indifference.

Bai Qu: …

Could she be… a psycho?

---

3,500 words ah
This was a loooong one guys T^T

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