Chapter 24: The Gu Village (End)

Chapter 24 The Gu Village (End)

They stood in the rain together for a while before Tan Yue finally emerged from that emotional storm. "The rain here is so heavy. Let’s find somewhere to take shelter."

Guan Shan glanced up at the sky, and the rain above the small grove stopped instantly.

It was as if an invisible, transparent umbrella had been raised over that particular patch of woods. While the rest of the village was still drenched in a downpour, this area alone was sunny and dry.

The deity, who had transformed from a skeleton back into a living, breathing beauty, snapped his fingers. In an instant, every drop of moisture vanished from Tan Yue’s clothes.

Since he had already revealed his divine nature, he no longer bothered to hide it. The clothes, once soaked and then dried so abruptly, were slightly wrinkled. Guan Shan pinched the edge of the fabric with his slender fingers, gave it a gentle snap, and the wrinkles smoothed out instantly, leaving the fabric crisp, straight, and looking brand new.

Tan Yue looked down and immediately gushed with admiration. "Ah Shan, you’re amazing! Now we don’t even have to worry about catching a cold."

Suddenly, he remembered the few days they had spent in that small courtyard. None of the other households in the village had any electrical appliances, and the washing machine in their home was clearly just for show.

Tan Yue suddenly felt a little embarrassed. "Ah Shan, were you the one who washed my dirty clothes like this every day?"

With a playful smirk, the deity revealed the truth about the washing machine. "Not me. It was the Gu insects that washed them for you."

The washing machine was filled with swarms of tiny insects, diligently scrubbing away the dirt from the clothes. Then, thousands of them worked together in a coordinated spin, achieving the effect of wringing the fabric dry.

Tan Yue’s face twisted in mild discomfort. "Ah, the Gu insects… Well, they must have worked very hard."

They were such weird little bugs, but surprisingly effective.

Since he couldn’t read Tan Yue’s thoughts or memories, Guan Shan could only ask directly. "How did you recognize me? Weren’t you afraid you’d mistaken me for someone else?"

He had gone out of his way to change his look, making himself look dirty and skinny. And not long after, he had even turned himself into a pile of bones.

After all, skeletons all looked more or less the same. Under normal circumstances, Tan Yue shouldn’t have been able to recognize him.

Tan Yue waved his hands excitedly. "You looked the same as before! Just a bit darker, thinner, and shorter. And this skeleton was obviously yours—your teeth, your ribs… everything was exactly the same!"

When they had embraced earlier, Tan Yue’s tongue had brushed against Guan Shan’s strong teeth, and his hands had traced every inch of his bones through skin and muscle.

Tan Yue didn’t have superhuman sight, nor was he as precise as a CT scanner. If Guan Shan had truly turned to ashes, he probably wouldn’t have been able to recognize him. But a skeleton? That he could identify.

There was a saying that true beauty lay in the bones, not the skin. But in Tan Yue’s eyes, Guan Shan possessed both the finest skin and the most exquisite bone structure in the world. What had drawn him to Guan Shan wasn’t just his beautiful exterior, but also the bones beneath.

His prominent brow, his perfectly aligned teeth, his perfect, healthy bones—every inch was exactly to Tan Yue's taste.

With genuine admiration, Tan Yue continued, "You can tell a person’s identity just by their teeth. Ah Shan’s teeth are so perfectly aligned, and his skeleton is the prettiest bones in existence. Even as a skeleton, he’d be the prettiest bones in existence! Truly one of a kind!"

The praise sounded a little strange to Guan Shan, who quickly cut him off. "Alright, alright. I believe you can recognize me accurately now."

Tan Yue sat by the burial mound, his mood finally calming after the earlier outburst. "Ah Shan, let’s leave the mountain. Come with me—we don’t have to stay here anymore."

If he wasn’t mistaken, Guan Shan’s sacrifice had been a real event. He had originally planned to live with his lover in this supposedly peaceful village. But now that he knew the villagers were murderers, he refused to consider letting Guan Shan stay here any longer.

Most supernatural stories followed the same logic—ghosts couldn’t stray too far from their remains. But now that he had dug up Guan Shan’s bones, he was determined to find a way to take his lover away from this place.

"Ah Shan, it doesn’t matter if the mountain path is rough. We’ll take it slow. If one day isn’t enough, we’ll take two. If two isn’t enough, we’ll take three. We’ll make it down this mountain, no matter what."

The villagers must have had paths leading up and down the mountain—otherwise, how would they have traveled between the two? The roads might be rough, but Tan Yue was full of determination now. He wasn’t afraid of hardship or danger.

After successfully digging Guan Shan out, he could feel his strength returning somewhat. Earlier, he had even managed to hold his lover tightly in his arms.

He planned to take the villagers’ axes and provisions and leave the village as quickly as possible while they still couldn’t see him.

Tan Yue tightly held his lover's slightly cool hand: "Come with me, I'll take you to see Song Yu and the others. We'll all go down the mountain together so we can look out for each other."

The plan had changed, and Guan Shan no longer insisted on staying. After all, the door leading outside was indeed at the foot of the mountain.

The original plot was supposed to be far more thrilling and dangerous, with a much more winding path, but the deity no longer cared to manufacture thrills.

You could say those outsiders lucked out. The student group following Tan Yue originally had no chance of survival—outsiders who stumbled into the surface world of Black Dragon Village had zero possibility of making it out alive. They basically got a second chance at life.

"Let’s get off this mountain."

Tan Yue appeared before the group holding Guan Shan's hand. Nobody asked about Guan Shan, and Tan Yue had no intention of explaining.

That would be like rubbing salt in his lover’s wounds. He had to carefully guard Guan Shan's inhuman secret, ensuring no one would notice.

"Didn’t you say going down the mountain is dangerous? That there are wild beasts and such?"

"Now is the best time for us to descend. Wild beasts might not even get to us," Tan Yue said. "But before we go, we need to prepare."

"Take all the food from the villagers in this village. Grab some stuff to start fires for the journey, and if you can carry them, grab some weapons."

Tan Yue added, "We gotta move fast. Let's leave as soon as possible while it's still daytime."

Honestly, Tan Yue didn’t give a damn if the others listened. His plan was set—even if the rest refused to go, he would still take Guan Shan with him.

"Alright, Tan, I’m with you," Wang Yihan was the first to agree, and the others quickly followed suit.

Wang Jiaojiao swallowed hard and said, "Just don’t leave me behind—I’ll go anywhere."

Before leaving, since the heavy rain had stopped, Tan Yue had everyone split up and enter the villagers' homes. Then, all at once, they lit fires in different spots.

Especially in the Village Elder’s home—Tan Yue overturned all the oil inside, dousing the floor in it to ensure the flames wouldn’t die out easily.

"Fire! There's a fire!"

The villagers scrambled to put out the flames while Tan Yue pulled Guan Shan’s hand and dashed out of the village. He moved lightly, fast as the wind.

Wang Yihan and the others emerged around the same time and followed them out of the mountain stronghold.

Guan Shan glanced back—the downpour over the courtyard had ceased. Without the rain, the parched houses went up in roaring flames.

Outside the village lay a narrow path. The highway behind it had been built following this very trail.

But when the group reached what should have been the winding mountain road, the cement-paved path was gone, replaced instead by a rough, winding trail.

The mountain trail was clearly man-made, its stone steps jagged, no railings in sight.

Lin Qingxue whispered under her breath, "The mountain road really is gone."

"But we have no way back now, do we?"

With only those words, Tan Yue pushed ahead without hesitation, his strength mostly back, carrying a wood-cutting axe.

The others glanced back at the village engulfed in flames. No second thoughts—they followed.

Tan Yue’s stamina was excellent. He kept going for almost an hour straight, never letting go of his lover’s hand as he led.

"Can’t we slow down a bit?"

Wang Jiaojiao, worn out and hurting, couldn’t keep up.

But Song Yu revealed a cold demeanor: “Tan Yue leaves a mark with his brush wherever he goes. Just keep moving forward.”

This was a fight for survival—stragglers had no right to demand the others wait.

Tan Yue might pause out of consideration for Guan Shan, but he showed no such gentleness to others.

After days of thrilling dangers, even the usually refined Song Yu wouldn’t accommodate anyone.

Wang Jiaojiao shut her mouth and followed in silence.

They walked for a very long time, their feet raw from rubbing, shoes worn through, blood oozing from burst blisters—yet no one stopped to rest.

The path was dead silent, with no small animals approaching. Because Tan Yue held Guan Shan’s hand, no threat to humans could get close.

The journey was long and grueling, but relatively safe.

After so many days, everyone’s phones had died. However, Song Yu’s sports watch still had power—they had walked for about five or six hours, close to forty thousand steps.

Some parts of the mountain path were extremely steep, needing extreme care on the descent, and in some places, there wasn’t even a path at all.

Tan Yue asked Guan Shan, who pointed to the edge of a cliff: “We need to climb down that vine.”

The vine was the tricky part. Before descending, Tan Yue picked up small stones and scratched a message in the dirt.

Though the journey was tough, in the end, they hadn’t lost anyone else.

Before nightfall, Tan Yue finally stopped. Near the foot of the mountain, they saw a door—a strange, glowing door.

“Tan Yue! Finally caught up to you!” The others panted heavily as they caught up, a wave of relief hitting them at the sight of him.

At first, the group hadn’t been too far apart, but as their energy flagged, the distance grew. If not for Tan Yue’s marks, they might have thought they’d lost him.

After Tan Yue stopped, it took them nearly an hour to reach him.

“Man, I can’t take another step… I really can’t anymore.”

Everyone’s bodies ached, many with scrapes on their wrists, elbows, and feet. Their faces were dusty, clothes torn and covered in dirt and grass.

“I’m beat—totally wiped out!”

They had spoken little along the way, but even so, the endless trek had dehydrated them badly.

When they left, they had taken almost all the water from the villagers’ homes, topping up from puddles when they could. Yet now, their lips were cracked and peeling—clearly parched.

Wang Yihan sat on the ground, waving a hand to cool himself. Night was falling, and hiking the mountains at night was risky.

He asked Tan Yue, who stood nearby, “Are we stopping here?”

Tan Yue pointed ahead. “There’s a door over there—it seems like a way out.”

Song Yu rubbed his eyes hard. “Is it some kind of mirage? What if it’s just a cliff?”

Tan Yue shook his head. “Go see for yourselves. You’ll understand once you’re closer.”

He had checked an hour earlier, tossing stones from different angles—the impact sounds suggested it wasn’t a cliff.

As they neared the door, understanding of it rushed into their minds.

Through the door, they could see the other side—a wide road, alive with traffic, tourist buses parked nearby.

The street was flanked by unevenly spaced buildings of different heights, haphazardly arranged. The highway still buzzed with traffic.

The portal wouldn't remain open indefinitely; they had to leave before it closed.

"I'm going back!"

Everyone moved toward the portal. Without a second thought, Wang Jiaojiao had long been fed up with this place and bolted straight through.

Her figure vanished behind the portal and instantly reappeared on the other side of the world.

Wang Jiaojiao broke down in tears of joy: "I'm back! I'm finally back! I escaped!"

Seeing this, the others' spirits instantly soared. The other side of the portal was truly their normal world! Li Dan didn't hesitate to follow.

The women hurried ahead. Song Yu glanced at Tan Yue, hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the glowing portal behind Lin Qingxue.

Wang Yihan noticed Tan Yue standing still and called out, "Wait—Brother Tan, are you out of your mind? Why would you stay in this godforsaken place? Aren’t you going to college? Don’t you care about your parents?"

They all understood one thing: the portal had a time limit. Once it closed, it might take years, even centuries, to open again.

Tan Yue pulled out a folded sheet of drawing paper from his pocket. "This is a letter to my parents. Please deliver it to them when you get to my home."

He had written the address on the letter and repeated it to Wang Yihan. He had also left his home address at the studio.

"Through some strange twist of fate," Wang Yihan seemed to realize something, "Brother Tan, are you crazy? What’s the point of staying here? You don’t want to go to university anymore? What about your parents?"

Tan Yue looked at Guan Shan. He'd initially tried to enter the portal, holding Guan Shan’s hand, hoping they could pass through together.

But the portal was a one-way exit—it only allowed departure, not return.

He could pass through, but Guan Shan couldn’t. It was then that he realized they belonged to separate worlds.

Because of an unusual accident, he had come to Guan Shan’s world and met him. If he chose to leave, he’d lose Guan Shan forever.

Parents or beloved? Where did his loyalty lie?

Tan Yue wrestled with the decision for a long time before silently pulling out the drawing paper from his pocket and carefully writing a letter home with a pencil.

"Please make sure to give this letter to my parents. Tell them I’m doing just fine in a distant place. If there’s a chance, I’ll see them again."

Tan Yue stuffed his belongings into Wang Yihan’s hands, then turned and walked step by step back to Guan Shan.

"Time's running out—the portal's closing soon. Are you sure you won’t leave?" Guan Shan looked at Tan Yue, confirming once more. "If you don’t go now, you’ll never have another chance."

Tan Yue took a deep breath. "I’ve grown up. I’m an adult now. Sooner or later, I would have parted ways with them. This is merely a parting in this life. When they pass away and have a chance to enter the inner world, we might meet again."

He knew he wasn’t being filial, but people always had to make choices. His parents had each other, their passions, and state support when they're old, with care arranged by their workplace.

But Guan Shan was different. His lover had endured loneliness for ages.

The thought was unbearable—the depth of his lover's loneliness and sorrow lying alone underground in that lightless place for countless years.

His parents had each other, relatives, and friends. But Guan Shan only had him. He simply refused to live with immediate regret.

Tan Yue said, "I don’t know if I’ll regret this choice after many years. But I do know one thing—if I choose to go back now, I’ll regret it immediately and for a long time afterward."

People always second-guess their choices, wondering if the other path might have been better.

Tan Yue didn’t know if his thoughts would change with time. He simply refused to live with immediate regret.

He dropped the subject, simply sitting in silence and waiting until the glow of the door had completely faded. Then Tan Yue asked, "Ah Shan, did they actually make it back after going through the door?"

Tan Yue wasn’t sure whether the other side of the door was a safe exit or an illusion. Without stepping through himself, the other end could just as easily be a living nightmare.

After all, this world had demons and monsters—perhaps the door itself was a creature that creates illusions.

But he hadn’t asked while the door was still open. Doing so would’ve come off as dishonest. Now that he’d made his decision with no way back, he could ask without worrying about Guan Shan overthinking it.

The deity studied his face. "Is this question really that important to you?"

Tan Yue replied, "We were companions for a time. I hope they can live normal lives. Besides, I asked Wang Yihan to take a letter to my family."

Guan Shan answered, "That side is indeed the real exit."

Tan Yue heaved a sigh of relief. "That’s really good to hear."

Though he had chosen his lover, he still wished for his family to live and work in peace, hoping his disappearance wouldn’t devastate them.

"What if I’m lying to you? You believe me so easily."

Tan Yue’s tone was firm. "I despise lies. I’ll believe whatever you say. If you deceived me, I’d be heartbroken—but I think you’d hate to see me sad, right?"

"You’re right." Guan Shan looked at him, his gaze soft as springwater.

His human lover had passed his test, and with overwhelming sincerity and an unnervingly intense display, he had gone above and beyond perfection.

The deity detected a trace of sorrow from the human. Despite having made his choice, abandoning his family in another world was still painful.

Tan Yue had been right about one thing—the deity was generous-hearted. Since the human couldn’t bear to make him sad, he wouldn’t let the human suffer either.

"Tan Yue."

Guan Shan waved him closer, and Tan Yue moved to sit next to him on the large bluestone.

Night had fallen, and faint firelight flickered in the mountains. Moonlight bathed them as a cool breeze brushed past, causing Tan Yue to sneeze.

Guan Shan leaned down and suddenly kissed him—the first time he had initiated it.

The black-haired boy stiffened for a moment before gripping Guan Shan’s arm tightly, pulling him into a deeper kiss.

Guan Shan pressed Tan Yue against the stone, easily tugging off his clothes.

"Wait—"

Tan Yue’s face burned red. This wouldn’t exactly distract him from his sorrow, but this wasn’t the ideal spot—out in the wilderness, with who-knows-what lurking around.

His imagined first time with his lover shouldn’t be in the middle of nowhere. It should be in a warm room, or maybe while soaking in a hot spring…

"They’re all gone. No one else is around in this wilderness."

Guan Shan cupped his face. "You’ve been wanting this, haven’t you? If we don’t do it now, we won’t get another chance for a while."

Tan Yue’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato. "B-but I didn’t prepare anything…"

No lube, no protection—it was asking for trouble.

Guan Shan impatiently yanked down Tan Yue’s pants. "Relax. Someone like you couldn’t hurt me even if you tried."

Tan Yue thought about it—his lover wasn’t exactly human. And he was clean and healthy, so at worst, the mess afterward would be annoying.

Perhaps he was too much in need of comfort, or perhaps Tan Yue needed a strong affirmation. Half-reluctant at first, Tan Yue gradually became actively responsive and, in a daze, lost his virginity.

The first time ended far too quickly, leaving the young man mortified. "I... I think I must be too tired..."

The male leads in novels always seemed to last what seemed like a normal time, but his performance felt embarrassingly brief.

Guan Shan directly slashed his own wrist and fed his blood into Tan Yue’s mouth.

Tan Yue immediately felt as if fire was burning inside him, urgently needing an outlet. He took the initiative, flipping the god who'd been riding him onto his back.

Twice... three times... the night passed in what felt like an eternity, until the divine blood in his system was completely exhausted. Only then did he pass out from exhaustion.

By the end, Guan Shan, who had been lying back and enjoying himself, took in the scene of shredded clothing around them. His jet-black irises shifted from round to square.

Nearby, a spider that had been diligently weaving its web in the grass suddenly grew hundreds of times larger. Responding to the call, it expelled great quantities of silk and then worked furiously with all eight legs to swiftly weave a white T-shirt and a pair of white shorts.

As for Guan Shan himself, his black robe was no mere mortal fabric that tore at the slightest pull.

After dressing Tan Yue, the deity let out a short, crisp whistle.

A black dragon came roaring down from the mountain. This time, it consumed every living soul in the village.

Having replenished its energy, the dragon opened its massive jaws and breathed out mightily toward Tan Yue’s direction.

The mountain path transformed from dirt to stone, then into a winding highway. The trees lining the road turned green, then yellow, then green again. Plants grew wildly only to wither instantly, flowers bloomed and withered in the blink of an eye...

Once again, time slipped by unnoticed. The scene from 800 years ago ended, and Tan Yue and Guan Shan returned to the present day, eight centuries later.

Black Dragon Village had been erased, and the rift in that region naturally closed.

But there were still many cracks between the inner and outer worlds. Those fortunate enough to carry the god's brand would step into the domains of the inner world again and again.

When sending Tan Yue back, Guan Shan watched him intently, his rosy lips curved in a silent declaration: "We will meet again."

He wasn’t worried that Tan Yue might form any relationships with others in the meantime. Aside from him, Tan Yue couldn’t sleep with anyone—anyone who tried to force themselves on him would rot and die a violent death.

Such was the tyranny of a deity’s love—a malignant curse that festers in the bones.

Dressed in a pure white short-sleeve and white mid-length shorts, the strikingly handsome young man crouched on the dusty curb, yet seemed to glow with otherworldly innocence, like an angel who had accidentally strayed into the mortal world, ready to sprout snow-white wings at any moment.

His eyes glazed over as he stared across the street, his expression slightly dazed, his heart hollow. He had the nagging sense he'd forgotten something incredibly important.

The black mark on his neck flickered briefly before vanishing once more beneath his fair skin.

Under the sunlight, Tan Yue’s skin glistened as if sheened with dew, like frozen milk cubes on a summer day, poured into a transparent goblet—translucent and pristine even under the blazing sun.

His slender swan-like neck and collarbone were dotted with angry red marks left by "mosquitoes." Had he removed his clothes, he would have found even more ambiguous traces scattered across his body.

Across the street, some serious accident had happened. The winding mountain road was cordoned off with caution tape, and officials in uniform were busy evacuating the crowd.

A young woman in a crisp black uniform badged the students in the area before ushering them into the armored, bulletproof vehicle behind her.

As part of the evacuated crowd, Tan Yue glanced at the commotion, brushed the dust off his clothes, and turned to leave.

For some reason, he felt drained and decided to cut his trip short, heading straight home to rest. After all, the new semester was about to start—he needed to register early and look into part-time work opportunities.

His family wasn’t short on money, but now that he was an adult, while his parents would cover tuition and housing, his spending money would be set at the average standard for college students. Earning extra would give him more pocket money.

Besides, taking on part-time jobs was an important part of the college experience.

Inside the armored vehicle, Wang Yihan watched Tan Yue's departing figure and also felt as though he had forgotten something important. He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a blank piece of paper. Frowning briefly, he soon dismissed it: "Whatever. If I forgot it, it couldn't have been important."

The woman responsible for receiving them inside the vehicle showed her ID and began explaining the truth of the world to the survivors.

"I am from the National Special Events Bureau, or NSEB for short, Y Province Branch. My surname is Bai. You may call me Vice Director Bai."

"As you've experienced, our world actually has two sides—the surface side where ordinary people live, and the Other Side inhabited by supernatural beings."

"For thousands of years, various records have documented mysterious disappearances and bizarre incidents. Those who vanished without a trace were unfortunate enough to enter the Other Side."

With a flat tone, the woman elaborated on the Other Side: "According to our department's observations, cases of disappearances related to the Other Side have increased significantly over the past decade. This indicates an accelerated merging of the two sides. It's highly likely that within 50 years, we will face a full-blown invasion from the Other Side."

Looking at these survivors who had escaped the Other Side, her expression brightened slightly: "Those who successfully escape the Other Side may undergo certain physical changes. You may develop special abilities to combat the Other Side, becoming humanity's first line of defense!"

The NSEB had previously received high-risk contamination alerts from their detection equipment. Seven days earlier, they had cordoned off the mountains and had been observing and exploring the surrounding environment.

They imposed traffic control on the roads and, under the pretext of an earthquake, evacuated all residents from the nearby mountains.

The foot of the mountain was crowded, but everyone was prepared to evacuate the area at any moment.

Unexpectedly, the energy-warping portal had closed again. Yet, from this hot zone, six survivors had emerged!

Moreover, all six appeared young, suggesting limitless potential! Given the high-risk energy fluctuations, the Other Side zone they had entered was extremely dangerous—normally, no one survived.

"There's a high probability you'll awaken powerful abilities. Later, you'll undergo a complete physical workup at the NSEB!"

"High probability" implied a slim chance of failure. Song Yu asked, "What if we don’t awaken any abilities? Are we required to join the NSEB?"

Vice Director Bai Xuege replied, "Regardless of whether you awaken abilities, you must sign confidentiality agreements. If you refuse, we will perform a memory wipe."

With a stern expression, she warned, "Escaping this time doesn’t guarantee success next time. Every entry into the Other Side is perilous. If you lack abilities, it's best to erase related memories—otherwise, you risk being dragged back into an Other Side zone before you know it."

Not everyone was willing to work for the NSEB. Considering the traumatic experiences these survivors might have endured in the Other Side, some could develop severe psychological issues.

A mentally unstable person entering the Other Side wouldn’t just fail to return—they might also get others killed along with them.

"So I might gain superpowers?!" Wang Yihan lit up, momentarily forgetting his aches and pains.

None of them mentioned the boy who had led them out, as if an invisible hand had wiped Tan Yue clean from their memories.

In the Other Side, the letter Tan Yue had written now rested between perfect hands.

The moment the human chose to stay for love, the letter written on drawing paper had been swapped with a blank piece of paper.

Apart from this letter, all 18 portraits remained, especially the largest one, framed in gold and adorned with glittering gemstones along the edges.

"How gaudy."

The paintings hovered mid-air as a mass of black fog bound by countless chains offered a brief critique.

"What do you know? This is the purest, most flawless love." The captive being, of course, had no idea how pleasurable intimacy with a human could be.

A voice similar to his own retorted. The massive black fog, constantly shifting forms, bore many heads at its center—one of them the stunningly beautiful face Tan Yue knew so well.

In the world of supernaturals, different entities ruled different territories. But as a god, he was imprisoned at the world's core, his power fueling the world endlessly.

He could only disperse fragments of himself, absorbing energy across various zones to break the seals binding him.

The disappearance of Black Dragon Village had completely shattered one chain, causing massive upheaval across the entire zone.

The fragments were mentally linked with the main body, so his true form knew every detail of this romance—and felt its echoes.

For the sake of Tan Yue, the fragile human, he had temporarily sealed away those memories.

Gazing at the cracked sky as if looking upon his beloved, he knew they would meet again soon—very soon.