Chapter 164: Reality: Sealing the Spirit

Chapter 164: Reality: Sealing the Spirit

In the still of the dawn, Ming Yiyang awoke in the guest room, the pale blue light filling the entire space.

Sparkling amethyst hues danced in his eyes like diamonds.

Rising from bed, he grabbed the clothes beside him, stepped out into the courtyard, and fired up his Maybach, roaring off into the distance.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Yan Qiling was abruptly roused from sleep as if by some unseen force, his eyes snapping open.

He gazed at the palm of his hand.

The patterns belonging to Misyari were fading rapidly.

Ming Yiyang had awakened ahead of time!

Without hesitation, he knocked on Chi Zihe's door.

When there was no response, he kicked it open, seizing the dazed Chi Zihe, who was still reeling from his intoxication.

"Now, carry the coffin up the mountain and seal me inside, Ming Yiyang is awake!"

Chi Zihe, half-dazed from his stupor, stumbled out with his hair in disarray to find laborers.

The workers, grumbling with resentment, reluctantly refrained from cursing due to Chi Zihe's influence. They diligently carried the coffin to the designated spot, then, after receiving generous tips from Chi Zihe, cheerfully descended the mountain for breakfast.

Yan Qiling effortlessly lifted the heavy coffin lid and gently settled inside. With a soft thud, he closed the lid once more.

Chi Zihe: ...Alright, I've never seen such a self-aware and proactive Unseen Master.

Chi Zihe understood why Yan Qiling had asked him to seal the coffin early.

Sealing an Unseen Master's coffin was akin to a human being officially pronounced dead – all traces of their Unseen presence would be concealed within the coffin.

As long as he remained trapped inside, no one else could locate him.

Now that Ming Yiyang had already taken action, it was obvious even without thinking that this person possessed a means to track Yan Qiling through his aura, otherwise Yan Qiling wouldn't have been so anxious.

The original purpose of sealing the coffin was to prevent Ming Yiyang from finding his way here.

Of course, he couldn't let all his efforts go to waste now.

After securely sealing the coffin, Chi Zihe inspected the talismans he had affixed once more.

Satisfied that everything was in order, he leaned against the coffin and said, "I'll come back tonight around three am to have you buried. Don't worry."

Inside the coffin, the Master of the Unseen World knocked thrice as an affirmation.

With that, Chi Zihe left the deserted woods and descended the mountain to return to the hotel for some more sleep.

At three am, Yan Qiling was awakened by footsteps.

Then, the coffin was lifted, accompanied by the humming of what sounded like a truck engine.

The coffin was indeed heavy; it might require a crane to move it. Chi Zihe had indeed put much thought into this matter.

The coffin thudded onto a flat surface.

However, something seemed amiss with the sound it made?

Before Yan Qiling could figure it out, an immense force descended from above his head, connecting with the gale-like energy surrounding him, pinning him firmly inside the coffin, unable to move.

Simultaneously, the abundant soul power he possessed became abruptly weighty by countless times, quickly plunging him into a long-awaited genuine slumber.

-

Yan Qiling anticipated that he would awaken after hundreds of years.

Thus, as he lay on the familiar sofa, gazing at the large white wall adorned with spells, he couldn't help but be slightly mesmerized.

He almost believed it was merely a dream conjured by his own mind.

He stirred his arm, only to be startled by the sight of the soul-binding tether fastened around him.

This was a clear message: This was not a dream, but a perilous trap!

With the sound of footsteps echoing from the entrance, Ming Yiyang emerged in the small basement, holding a glass bowl.

Their eyes met, yet the young man didn't pause in his steps.

Ming Yiyang nonchalantly placed a glass bowl before Yan Qiling; it contained a soup with silver ear fungus and lotus seeds, its color a blend of green and white.

The young man's demeanor was eerily amiable:

"Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll prepare it for you."

Yan Qiling remained silent, unsure of what he should say.

His silence seemed to be within the young man's expectations.

A faint curve formed at the corners of the young man's eyes, his silver eyelashes long and enchanting:

"It was quite a task getting you down from the mountain, especially that coffin. I wasn't sure where to put it, so I sent it to the lumberyard to be processed. I'll carve some trinkets for you to play with later."

Yan Qiling felt an inexplicable sense of unfamiliarity and surprise.

Without realizing when, this once straightforward and cheerful human had started wearing a peculiar mask in front of him.

This was not what Yan Qiling wished to witness.

But for Ming Yiyang, without such a mask, he would be too easily guessed at, discarded, left behind, or even forgotten.

He could not tolerate such incidents recurring again and again.

Not in the slightest.

Yan Qiling gazed intently at the man's profound features, as if trying to discern something from his expression.

Yet, the other person calmly allowed him to study his face, neither making any intimate gestures nor deliberately keeping his distance. He appeared like a kind and gentle companion who embraced him entirely.

Eventually, Yan Qiling lowered his gaze and said, "There's no need. I'll leave sooner or later."

Before he could say more, the young man had already assertively risen to sit beside him.

Then, with both hands cupping his cheeks, he turned Yan Qiling's face towards his own eyes.

The gentle facade crumbled instantaneously, replaced by a malevolent shadow that swiftly crept across the handsome mixed-race face, as if harboring a violent thirst for blood in the depths of those profound shadows.

"Where do you think you're going? Back into the coffin?"

"I already know everything about the sealing, Chi Zihe told me everything."

Despite the obvious provocation, a smile, unusually for him, curled up at the corner of the young man's lips.

"That coffin is so small, aren't you cramped? Since freedom is being restricted either way, isn't my place a hundred times more spacious than that dilapidated wooden box?"

The man's heterochromatic eyes mirrored the young man's expression entirely, as they locked gazes, neither willing to yield.

Yan Qiling finally revealed a hint of repressed sharpness:

"The coffin isn't sealed for you, but for me. To prevent the Prison Train from reappearing, it's a choice that benefits both of us."

"Really? I don't feel the same way."

The young man's eyes shimmered with a chilling purple glow. Under this glow, Yan Qiling experienced for the first time a profound drowsiness, as if he had been ensnared by some irresistible enchantment.

The sleepiness was almost irresistible, and with an incredulous shock, he weakly lowered his neck, sinking into a baby-like slumber.

Supporting the man's limp neck, Ming Yiyang held the unconscious person in his arms, crimson tears slowly trickling down the corners of his eyes.

Attempting hypnosis on a being of this magnitude... It was indeed too much to ask.

But if not, how else could he keep this person?

He held the man on the sofa, burying his head in his shoulder, seeking a semblance of comfort within the cold body.

Yan Qiling descended into his own realm of Naraka.

-

Due to the hypnosis, his consciousness took a while to resurface.

Fifty lounged nonchalantly on a swing, noticing his pensive expression and approaching curiously,

"Master, what's wrong? Has the coffin been sealed?"

"No."

"Ahh, why isn't he here yet? When can I focus on dealing with those creepy creatures? Their attacks on the rift have been getting more intense lately. If it gets out of hand, the consequences would be disastrous!"

How could Yan Qiling not know this?

But given the current situation, he wasn't entirely sure if he should return to the Realm of Chaos in the form of a sealed coffin.

Fifty soon shared his uncertainty and memories, revealing an astonished look:

"This person actually did all these unnecessary things? He's quite bothersome, isn't he?"

Yan Qiling didn't deny it.

However, Fifty quickly distanced himself from the matter:

"Well, I suppose he counts as combat power. Since he's come to us, Master should just accept him. With him, our future battles against those beasts in the rift might become much easier."

"Nonsense."

Yan Qiling spoke thus, but deep down, his heart was immersed in a serene, autumnal afternoon.

He felt like a frog basking in a gentle sun, his flesh and bones already in ruins, yet he insisted on pretending that nothing was amiss, stubbornly engaging in actions even he couldn't comprehend.

Adding error upon error.

He recalled the gentle facade the other had worn, the nearly despairing look in their eyes. He couldn't help but bury his head between his knees, unusually embracing himself without concern for his image.

Accept him, Yan Qiling told himself.

Embrace him entirely.

Don't ask about what will come later.

Don't inquire about the state of affairs a century hence.

At least in this very moment, accept him.

-

Initially, Ming Yiyang expected Yan Qiling to wake up again with an expression of disgust or, at the very least, indifference towards him.

He was prepared for any cold treatment, but the other party acted as if nothing had happened, remaining even more composed than he was.

There was no splashing of oolong tea in his face, no bowl being slammed on his head. Instead, Yan Qiling sat on the sofa, casually flipping through a book, seemingly at ease.

This only heightened Ming Yiyang's vigilance.

He knew that this person wasn't not resisting; rather, they were waiting for an opportunity to escape. To create that chance, they needed to deliberately cooperate, lowering his guard.

Tortured by this realization, he found himself unable to criticize the person who was making such efforts to accommodate him.

It was his fault, his obsession, that had kept this person here against their will.

There was no turning back from a drawn bow, and besides, he didn't feel regret.

On the contrary... there was a sense of satisfaction in finally grasping something.

That day, they finished planting seeds on the balcony. The first seed Yan Qiling had attempted to cultivate had already sprouted a tender shoot.

He could tell that Yan Qiling was genuinely happy.

Unconsciously, he recalled the image of this person watering flowers under the wall that day. The wind brushed against his clothes and hair, creating a scene so ethereal it seemed otherworldly. It was a beauty that made one forget both time and space, longing to preserve that moment forever.

But in this tiny basement, there was no wind, no sunlight—only the unchanging natural light day after day.

For the first time, Ming Yiyang felt a cruel sense of life being stifled, taking form right in his hands.

He wanted to keep this person by his side.

But what is he doing now?

Is it because of one's love for the beauty of a butterfly in flight that one would pin it onto one's own book page as a specimen?

Yan Qiling had intended to discuss with Ming Yiyang the technique of indoor seed germination.

Looking up, just as he was about to speak, the tall young man beside him suddenly stood up and strode away swiftly.

Yan Qiling: ?

He couldn't understand why the other party seemed to have suddenly become angry. He believed he hadn't done anything to provoke them.

However, Ming Yiyang's emotions had indeed been unstable lately. Anything he said at this point wouldn't be taken seriously.

So... he decided to keep those words hidden in his heart until the other person calmed down.

Little did he expect that the opportunity would come sooner than he thought.

Ming Yiyang would deliberately share the same bed with him at night, loosely holding his waist and pulling him into his embrace.

Yan Qiling found nothing wrong with this arrangement, but tonight was different.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, the young man slept soundly this evening, his breathing unlike its usual rhythm.

Maybe out of fear that Yan Qiling might escape, Ming Yiyang usually slept lightly, his sleep punctuated by intervals of wakefulness.

Yan Qiling was aware of this, but if he were to speak up and reassure the other to sleep peacefully – not only Ming Yiyang, but even he himself would suspect some malicious intention on his part.

Thus, he remained silent, silently waiting for the day when the young man could no longer hold on.

It seemed... it would be tonight.

Yan Qiling's lips curved up uncontrollably as he gazed at the young man sleeping in the darkness. He slowly lifted his hand.