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墨書 Inktalez
As Mu Junze spoke the last few words, his voice choked with emotion, feeling a pain in his heart that was worse than being cut by a knife.
Su Che, hearing this, broke into a smile through his tears. "Silly A Je, how could I ever dislike you? I was worried you might dislike me instead."
"How could that be! Then what is this…"
Su Che wiped away his tears and smiled. "First, go put on some clothes. Why are you walking around barefoot? I was just planning to use that to tie Xu Mu up; I never had any thoughts of ending my life. And I would never blame or dislike you."
"I... I have feelings for you."
After saying this, he lowered his head, unable to meet Mu Junze's gaze. Upon hearing Su Che's words, Mu Junze was momentarily stunned, hardly believing his ears.
"What did you say?"
Su Che pretended to be angry. "If you keep standing there, I might just take back what I said earlier."
Mu Junze hurriedly tidied himself up and uncertainly asked Su Che, "Zi Qi, did you really say you have feelings for me? You mustn't be joking or take it back."
"I'm not taking it back, and it's not a joke. If you don't mind, from now on... you'll have to take responsibility for what happened last night. Think carefully before you answer."
Upon hearing this, Mu Junze pinched himself; the pain confirmed that this was real. Seeing him silent, Su Che deliberately added a teasing tone to his voice. "What's wrong? Are you having regrets? It's not too late to change your mind now."
"I have no regrets, no regrets at all. I'm willing to take responsibility for this life and the next and the one after that. It's just that it feels like a dream; I can hardly believe it."
Su Che placed a gentle kiss on Mu Junze's face. "Do you believe it now?"
"I believe it, I believe it! In fact, from the moment we first met during that startled horse incident, I already had feelings for you. I just didn't dare to know your thoughts for fear that you'd leave me once you found out. Zi Qi, do you trust me? From now on, I will never let you down."
Su Che nodded; how could he not trust him? In their previous life, their interactions had been so minimal yet he had come to collect his body without caring about the stench of decay. How could he not trust him?
Fortunately, in this life, he would not miss him again.
The two sat awkwardly beside each other after their conversation, like shy young girls revealing their feelings for the first time, unsure of what to say next.
Mu Junze suddenly noticed Xu Mu lying nearby and couldn't help but feel puzzled. "I knocked him out pretty hard yesterday, but he shouldn't be unconscious for this long. He..."
Su Che then realized he had almost forgotten about this matter. He explained to Mu Junze that after Xu Mu woke up, he was afraid that Xu Mu might suddenly regain consciousness, and since he couldn't handle him alone, he decided to use the tranquilizer on Xu Mu once more for safety.
Recalling the situation from last night, Su Che remembered that there should be some tranquilizer in Xu Mu's room. Sure enough, he found it and used up the remaining dose on Xu Mu.
Suddenly, Su Che remembered something and turned pale. "I didn't know the dosage; he won't die, will he?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Junze approached to check and reassured Su Che that there was no need to worry; Xu Mu was still alive and might just be in a deeper slumber.
With a topic to discuss, the tension eased between them. After tidying up, Su Che and Mu Junze left the room.
...
When Xu Mu finally regained consciousness, he had no idea how much time had passed. A sharp pain throbbed at the top of his head. He instinctively tried to touch it but realized he couldn't move at all.
It was then that he noticed how unfamiliar his surroundings were; he was suspended in mid-air, bound tightly, with a rope around his neck as if meant for hanging.
Beneath him lay a few bricks, and everything around him was pitch black—he could see no one and nothing else. The only source of light came from above, likely moonlight, indicating it was nighttime.
He had no idea where he was. An overwhelming sense of fear washed over him as he trembled slightly and tentatively called out, "Is... is anyone there?"
The echo that returned told him the space was vast. Suddenly, the light above seemed to vanish—whether it was blocked or extinguished, he couldn't tell.
The silence around him was so profound that even the sound of insects was absent; no one responded to his call. After an indeterminate amount of time, a flickering candlelight suddenly illuminated in front of him. As his eyes adjusted, he looked ahead and gasped in shock.
Before him stood a government office table with chairs, but instead of the usual coastal sunrise painting on the wall behind the desk, there hung a terrifying depiction of a hundred demons.
In the center of this demon painting was a bizarre creature: it had a single horn, dog ears, a tiger's head, a lion's tail, a dragon's body, and hooves like a qilin—all standing on clouds.
Xu Mu's heart raced; he recognized that creature—it resembled the legendary Di Ting.
Looking at the person seated in the middle, Xu Mu saw a face darkened with malice, wearing a crown and official robes. One hand held a brush while the other clutched a book.
On either side stood figures resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face; who else could they be but the legendary Ox-Head and Horse-Face?
At that moment, Xu Mu felt his legs weaken; he wished he could fall back into unconsciousness. The candlelight around him suddenly flared up, startling Xu Mu into alertness.
The candlelight shifted from green to red, illuminating two rows of figures standing on either side, each with a human body and a ghostly face. In their hands, they held red staffs that appeared particularly eerie against the flickering light and the wall paintings.
Before him was a brazier, filled with glowing coals and heated iron, the flames radiating heat that washed over Xu Mu. Yet, at that moment, he was drenched in cold sweat.
Had he truly arrived in the underworld?
But how had he died? He could only remember that he was on the verge of success; just as he prepared to share an intimate moment with Su Che, everything went dark, and he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found himself here.
He swallowed hard and trembled as he asked, "I... I do not know... who is presiding here? Where... where is this place?"
"Oh?"
The voice from the dais was authoritative, amplified by the surrounding atmosphere, making it sound particularly ominous. Xu Mu shivered at the sound as the figure continued.
"I am Judge! This is the Underworld Emperor's Hall! Xu Mu! Do you know your crimes?"
With a loud bang, the judge slammed a wooden board on the table. Had Xu Mu not been suspended in mid-air at that moment, he would have surely fallen to the ground in fear, trembling uncontrollably.
He knew of the Emperor's Hall; it was said to be a place for judging souls. Could it be that he was truly dead? Had he descended into hell?
Though fear gripped him, Xu Mu did not lose his wits. Clinging to his remaining rationality, he bravely asked Judge, "My Lord Judge, may I inquire how Villain met his end? What crime have I committed?"
If this were a ruse, then he would naturally be unaware of any wrongdoing; some of his actions had been so secretive that only he and Xiao Nan knew of them.
But if it were true... no, it couldn't possibly be true. He reassured himself as he awaited the Judge's response.
The Judge spoke again. "Last night at midnight, you harmed a man with intentions of wrongdoing. However, fate did not spare you; a brick fell and claimed your life. As for your crimes, it seems you are not sincerely repentant and dare to test this Judge!"
"Do you understand that confessing will lead to leniency? If I were to enumerate your offenses, you would face punishment in eighteen layers of hell for eternity without hope of rebirth or relief from suffering. It would be better for you to confess honestly!"
With another slam of the wooden board, the staffs beside him rang out in unison, their power shaking the very air and shattering Xu Mu's last line of defense.
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