Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Suddenly being called a "boyfriend" didn’t feel much different from before.

At first, Shi Yu felt slightly awkward, but after a few days of noticing no real consequences, he relaxed.

Yet every visit to Sang Huaiyu’s company left him sensing an odd excitement in the air.

When the two secretaries took turns delivering food to him, their footsteps sounded oddly… excited?

Shi Yu’s lips twitched. At least they couldn’t actually barge in.

He checked the time. With the Evil God stuck working late, he finally had some freedom!

With a small stretch, he texted Sang Huaiyu before heading to the elevator. Pausing mid-step, he pulled out his phone.

He mused, *Hmm, let’s check what’s around to eat.*

After days of rich meals, he found himself craving something plain like congee and simple sides. Scrolling through options, his eyes lit up.

Perfect! A congee shop near Heling Building—just what he needed.

Planning to enjoy some congee and stir-fried noodles before wandering back, he tugged his cap low and strolled leisurely down the street.

The weather had turned foul early—though barely past five, it was already dark out.

Ominous clouds loomed overhead, making everything feel eerie. Shi Yu glanced up, then frowned. No umbrella. Better eat quickly.

He wasn’t alone in that thought. A middle-aged man rushed across the street, equally keen to beat the coming storm.

As the traffic light blinked, they brushed past each other.

Shi Yu was about to cross when he caught a strange whiff of something. His nose twitched—then he spun around.

There, dangling from the man’s coat, was a small iron tag.

It looked decorative, but gave off a foul, unnatural stench.

A horror item?

Shi Yu frowned in surprise.

The tag had camouflaged itself on the human’s clothing, waiting to hitch a ride home and, when least expected, slowly melt its victim away.

This malice had been simmering for ages.

Horrors fed on fear, and after prolonged restraint, their bloodlust became impossible to suppress.

The "scorching iron tag" was just one of many out hunting—but tonight, it picked the wrong prey.

Shi Yu narrowed his eyes. The tag quivered with hunger upon sensing him, lured by the Little Monster’s scent like all its kind.

Yet weirdly, it wasn’t going after him instead?

Shi Yu hesitated briefly, watching the man hurry away—then blurted out:

"Excuse me, mister—where’d you pick up that tag? Looks kinda cool."

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

The tall guy was initially annoyed at being stopped by a stranger while trying to take shelter from the rain. Just as he frowned and turned around, he saw a weirdo standing before him—wearing a mask and bundled up in the middle of summer.

This oddball suddenly whipped out a bill and handed it to him upon meeting his gaze.

"I really like it. Can I buy it?"

The guy just stared blankly:

The iron tag was just some cheap trinket he'd picked up randomly on the street—nowhere near a hundred.

Since someone wanted it, he might as well sell it. The man ripped the tag off and handed it to Shi Yu, muttering as he took the money:

"Sold as is. No take-backs."

Not wanting to deal with buyer's remorse, the man turned and left without another word.

Shi Yu didn’t mind the man’s attitude. Instead, after the guy walked away, he examined the iron tag in his hand.

The craftsmanship was unremarkable, but the Horror vibes coming off it were off-the-charts thick. Though it was only an A-rank Horror, the intensity of its miasma rivaled that of an ordinary S-rank.

This was the first time Shi Yu had encountered such a phenomenon. Pretending to be clueless, he pocketed the tag as if oblivious to its abnormality.

With his other hand, he gently soothed the Little Monster, telling it to keep its cool.

Only after the Little Monster gave a little tentacle wave in response did Shi Yu continue toward the congee shop he’d originally intended to visit.

Talk about perfect timing.

The moment he stepped inside, the skies opened up outside—almost as if it had been waiting for him.

Nearby shopkeepers, caught off guard while airing laundry, cursed and scrambled to retrieve their belongings.

Shi Yu took off his hat and squinted at the menu before ordering a bowl of century egg and pork congee along with stir-fried rice noodles.

His thoughts drifted as he pondered the iron tag again.

Something about its engraved pattern felt weirdly familiar.

Those twisted stone limbs—had he seen them somewhere before?

But where?

That creepy-ass design wouldn’t be something he’d forget if he’d seen it firsthand.

That left only indirect exposure.

He chewed on it until the owner brought his congee. Just as he picked up his spoon and took a sip, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Wait.

He had some half-baked memory of seeing it in the original novel.

The detail had been so minor and barely mentioned that Shi Yu had nearly overlooked it. Only repeated flashes of intuition had shaken loose the memory.

In the final chapter of the novel—before Sang Huaiyu’s identity was revealed—there was some throwaway line about an Ability User Association member finding a bottle engraved with an unfamiliar pattern two days prior.

The description of that pattern was dead-on with the one on the iron tag! Shi Yu's brain short-circuited. Unable to resist, he pulled out the tag again for another look. Feeling its weird heat, he stuffed it back into his pocket, keeping his poker face.

Yeah, it’s definitely this thing.

The stone-like pattern on this metal tag matches the one on the bottle the Ability User Association found.

So, what is this? Could it be connected to the recent phenomenon of Horrors being devoured?

Shi Yu almost considered being a good Samaritan. But after some thought, reporting it to the Ability User Association would probably just end up with the matter being handed over to Sang Huaiyu anyway. Might as well cut out the middleman and ask the evil god himself.

Not that he was sure the guy would actually answer.

Shi Yu wavered, halfway through another thought when the phone beside him rang.

—Sang Huaiyu’s name flashed on the caller ID.

He stiffened for a second, surprised by the coincidence. Speak of the devil—literally.

Clenching his jaw, he picked up and heard the other pause before asking,

"Out grabbing food?"

"It’s pouring outside."

"Yeah."

"Should let up soon, though."

Shi Yu glanced at the downpour outside and responded.

Before he could ask if the other was off work yet, Sang Huaiyu chuckled lightly and suddenly asked, "Can I come pick you up?"

Wait—

Pick him up?

The offer threw Shi Yu for a loop. He’d planned to find shelter from the rain himself.

But hey, free ride? Can’t complain.

Shi Yu agreed over the phone and gave the address while looking outside.

Ten minutes later, Sang Huaiyu arrived, toting an umbrella.

Dressed in a tailored suit, his cool, refined demeanor stuck out like a sore thumb in the shabby little neighborhood eatery. The busy owner near the door did a double take, watching as the man beelined for the corner booth of their porridge shop.

Shi Yu blinked, truly understanding what "lighting up a room" meant for the first time. Without exaggeration, the dim, energy-saving lights suddenly felt brighter the moment Sang Huaiyu entered.

Muttering under his breath, Shi Yu asked, "How’d you make it here so quick?"

He hadn’t even finished eating yet.

He’d figured Sang Huaiyu would take a while after the call, but his porridge was only half gone.

Sang Huaiyu glanced at the table.

"Take your time. Eat up."

"No hurry on my end."

He dusted off the chair and sat down across from him.

Shi Yu let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was good that the Evil God didn't disdain this hole-in-the-wall human diner.

The next second, he looked up and realized—he'd spoken too soon.

Shi Yu: "..."

Shit.

Why was everyone sneaking looks this way?

Before Sang entered, he'd been quietly hiding in the back, eating his congee. But the moment the other man walked in, the gazes of everyone sheltering from the rain in the small shop drifted toward them.

Especially when Shi Yu finished his congee, and the man across from him naturally passed him a napkin. Shi Yu even heard someone squealing in excitement.

"OMG, dude!"

"I told you, they're definitely a couple!"

Shi Yu: "..."

WTF, seriously dude? Passing someone a napkin makes them a couple?

He bit back his words, dying to turn around and explain. But the Evil God across from him merely raised an eyebrow, as if he hadn't heard the comment, and asked, "Finished?"

Shi Yu refocused. "Yeah."

Sang watched the human youth, who seemed on the verge of speaking but held back, and asked with deliberate mischief, "Wait for the rain to stop, or head straight home?"

Normally, Shi Yu would have waited for the rain to ease. But now... after being stared at for so long, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Especially since there were two creepy shippers in the shop shipping them hard.

Shi Yu was worried they might provoke the Evil God and get themselves killed tonight. He immediately said, "Let's go back first."

"I have something to talk to you about tonight."

He tugged at Sang's sleeve and bolted out the door after paying the bill.

The moment they stepped outside, he heard excited whispers again.

Shi Yu: "..."

Jesus!

Has this guy never had anything better to obsess over?!

How is this even shippable?!

Shi Yu took a deep breath and let go, only turning to look at the Evil God after they got into the car.

"Sorry about that."

"Seems like people were gossiping about us earlier."

"Didn't get a chance to explain."

Sang closed the car door. "It's fine."

"Humans love gossip. It's normal."

Just as Shi Yu began to unwind, the Evil God said with an amused huff: "Besides, aren't we actually boyfriends?"

But really, aren't they just pretending to be "boyfriends" to have a reasonable explanation in the human world?

Shi Yu was about to retort when the Malevolent Deity said, "We're just talking about it for now."

"Once the Little Monster is born, we'll meet even more people. Maybe we should start getting used to it."

He then seemed a bit apologetic: "If it bothers you..."

"I could make it up to you."

Make it up to her?

Shi Yu's hesitation vanished instantly.

"Anything at all?"

Sang Huaiyu: "Of course."

Shi Yu thought of the "iron plaque" in his pocket and took it out.

"Do you recognize this?"

"I think it might be related to the disappearance of the Horrors."

Sang Huaiyu lowered his head to look at the object in Shi Yu's hand. When he saw the iron plaque engraved with a stone pattern, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Where did you find this?"

The Malevolent Deity knew about it?

Realizing he had asked the right person, Shi Yu didn’t hide anything.

"I saw a guy wearing it at the restaurant today. I could tell there was something weird about the eerie energy coming from it, so I bought it."

Sang Huaiyu nodded: "Smart move."

He reached out and took the plaque. The plaque, which had been restless and heating up as if trying to cause trouble, now lay completely still in his hand, like it was dead.

As Shi Yu watched eagerly, Sang Huaiyu spoke: "This is the symbol of the Ancient Stone Deities."

Ancient Stone Deities?

Shi Yu was stunned.

Sang Huaiyu smiled: "You know who I am."

"But Xiao Yu, how many other gods do you think exist in this world besides me?"

It hit Shi Yu like a revelation—he had never considered this before. The books only ever mentioned Sang Huaiyu, and his Authority seemed so vast and all-encompassing that it was terrifying.

So, Shi Yu had subconsciously assumed that apart from Sang Huaiyu, this world only had the Horrors left.

But judging by the other’s tone, that didn’t seem to be the case?

The human across from him was so shocked his eyes went wide.

Sang Huaiyu’s fingers twitched—he thought it was ridiculously cute. When Shi Yu gave him that eager look, he smirked again.

"That’s all for today."

"It's time to go home."

Though stunned by the flood of information, Shi Yu snapped back to reality and realized: the most crucial part remained unknown.

Yet the malevolent deity merely smiled at him without another word.

Shi Yu itched with curiosity, as if glimpsing the world outside the novel through the author's eyes, desperate to know what came next. Sensing its mother's agitation, the Little Monster inside his belly flailed its tentacles excitedly.

Sang Huaiyu lowered his gaze and, while Shi Yu was still reeling, suddenly leaned over to grab the seatbelt.

"Though I have complete confidence in my driving skills, we still gotta follow traffic rules."

Traffic rules?

Slightly puzzled, Shi Yu turned and only then realized he'd forgotten to buckle up.

As the distance between them closed, he was jerked back to the present, his thoughts about the "Ancient Stone Deities" forgotten.

"Uh, I can do it myself."

"I've got it."

Sang Huaiyu quirked a smile. After a brief downward glance at Shi Yu, his fingers moved—yet the seatbelt was already securely fastened.

Cold fingertips brushed against his abdomen through the belt.

Shi Yu followed his gaze, body stiff and unmoving, but Sang Huaiyu only lowered his eyes.

"The Little Monster's been taking in energy efficiently these past two days. One more replenishment, and it should fully control lightning."

"Oh."

Shi Yu replied flatly.

The moment the evil god's fingers withdrew, he jerked upright, only to realize his ears were bright red.

For some reason, though it had just been a simple seatbelt adjustment, it left him flushed and heart racing as if he'd never experienced anything like it before.

Trying to play it cool, Shi Yu exhaled slightly and cracked open the window to cool his heated face—only to slam it shut the next second when wind and rain came blasting in.

"Shit!"

It nearly took his head off.

He quickly pulled up his hood but thought he heard the deity beside him chuckle.

Shi Yu gave a sideways glance, but by the time he turned, Sang Huaiyu was already pulling out of the parking lot, eyes fixed on the road ahead as if the laughter had been pure imagination.

Had he really overthought it?

Uncertain, Shi Yu blinked and finally looked away. He wondered if he should make time to swing by the Ability User Association again.

Though the Ability User Association's records had no accounts of Elder Gods—after all, unless they willed themselves to be seen, humans had no means of observing them—there were notes on their residual effects.

The abrupt disappearance of Horrors had happened once before.

Shen Yan, while researching time jumps, happened to be in the library. Coming across this record, he went still.

Then, his brows slowly furrowed.

Here is the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

The Ability User Association has only existed for a little over a century, while the Arcane Order has been around since ancient times. He'd originally come to research, never expecting to come across this record.

These ancient texts were compiled over centuries by the Arcane Order before being handed over to the Ability User Association.

Shen Yan rubbed his temples and read on carefully: four hundred years ago, there had been an incident where Horrors vanished en masse, and ordinary people disappeared too.

This lasted roughly a month.

However, back then, the detector hadn't been developed yet, so the records were based solely on the Arcane Order's predecessors' investigations—incomplete.

Shen Yan skimmed through these pages, snapped photos to preserve the records, and was preparing to report to President Chang when he received a message from him.

"Suspend all current time research. All hands meeting."

Within half an hour, the Association's leadership had gathered.

Shen Yan glanced around, wondering what was going on, when President Chang spoke.

"According to the prophecy clues previously provided by Mr. Sang, mass disappearances may occur within the next month."

"Make this our top priority in the Association."

"Ensure civilian safety first."

At these words, even the usually carefree Han Chuyi snapped to attention and looked at President Chang.

"How can you be sure, President?"

President Chang pointed at the ancient text in Shen Yan's hands.

"This happened once before, four hundred years ago. We just never knew what it was."

"It wasn't until Mr. Sang reminded me just now that I realized—these two incidents might be the same."

Han Chuyi took the documents from Shen Yan with a frown, skimming through the pages before his expression turned grave. He fully understood President Chang's concern.

If so many people disappeared alongside the Horrors four hundred years ago, and if this really was the same thing making a comeback—what would happen this time?

They couldn't wait for it to happen before acting.

Following President Chang's instructions, the Association members sprang into action.

Shi Yu had just arrived home when he noticed that Orange Blossom Road, formerly off-limits, was suddenly crowded again. After a moment of thought, he turned to the side.

"Did you warn the Ability User Association?"

A few days ago, he remembered President Chang mentioning over the phone that he had asked the Horror for help with this matter. Shi Yu had assumed the other party had only half-listened, never expecting him to actually give the Association a lead.

Sang Huaiyu took off his suit jacket, hanging it over his arm, before turning to look at him.

"Mhm. Though I've never particularly cared about humanity's survival."

"But for certain reasons, I'd prefer if the human world remained... relatively peaceful for now."

After all, His boyfriend was still here.

If those trash dared go too far—He would handle them personally.

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

At night, Shi Yu tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

He took out the metal tablet that had been left utterly inert after passing through the Evil God's hands and slipped out of bed again.

Nope, curiosity still gnawed at him. Might as well check it out at the Ability User Association.

After all, it seemed like everyone in the Association had been mobilized tonight, so HQ should be pretty empty.

Shi Yu stood up and carefully changed his clothes.

He kept wondering—where were those ancient records about past encounters with Horrors kept the last time he'd browsed through them?

The young man, now wide awake, had just opened the door when he looked up and saw Sang Huaiyu drinking water in the living room.

The Evil God, dressed in a shirt, turned his head and gave him a once-over.

"Going out?"

Shi Yu: "..."

Just my luck.

But no use lying now.

He put on an innocent smile. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd go for a walk."

Sang Huaiyu nodded. "A walk to the Ability User Association?"

Shi Yu: "!!!"

Way too on the nose.

Fine, he admitted it.

He was just curious about the ancient gods. The reality beyond the texts made Shi Yu feel like he was on the verge of understanding something, though he couldn't quite put it into words.

Sang Huaiyu looked at him, arching a brow in feigned confusion. "Actually, it's not like there's anything I can't share."

"Why not just ask me?"

Shi Yu: "Wait, what?"

"But didn't you say earlier today that you wouldn't talk about it?"

In the car, Sang Huaiyu had dropped the subject, so Shi Yu assumed he didn't want to discuss it.

He widened his eyes, only to see the man across from him give a quiet chuckle.

Shi Yu blinked at the sudden laughter.

Sang Huaiyu felt a tickle in his throat—Shi Yu really was adorable.

Glass in hand, he said nonchalantly as Shi Yu stared in disbelief, "Only messing with you."

"Wanted to see what you'd do."

If he really wanted to know, would he try sweet-talking it out of him?

However, it seems Shi Yu hasn't realized this at all.

Shi Yu never expected the Evil God to have such twisted humor.

No, it's more accurate to say that Evil Gods are inherently warped—he just didn't expect Sang Huaiyu would play such a petty trick on him. That's why he didn't react at all.

Only now did he realize he'd been teased at noon, the understanding dawning belatedly.

But what could he do? It was already too late.

Damn it!

He cursed inwardly.

Sang Huaiyu, hearing his thoughts, curled his lips slightly.

Under Shi Yu's surprised gaze, he spoke: "There were indeed many deities in the past, but all except me have perished."

"The remaining few, having lost their divine forms, became half-god, half-Horror hybrids—the 'Ancient Stone Deities' you saw engraved on the iron plaque today."

"These aberrations won't accept their extinction. Even when suppressed, they'll use the Horrors to cause trouble."

Shi Yu froze, not expecting the Evil God to suddenly explain.

I thought you were just messing with me?

He blinked, his thoughts spinning, then instinctively asked, "Then how did the other deities... die?"

The idea of deities dying was shocking just to think about.

Sang Huaiyu looked at him with gentle eyes and, when Shi Yu met his gaze with eager curiosity, gave his cheek a light pinch. "Well..."

"I devoured them," he admitted casually.