Evil As Humans, page 209
His eyes remained dull, but there was a hint of helplessness and tenderness in Zhong Chengshuo’s expression. He didn’t even glance at the sofa where the wooden talisman was, instead, he focused his full attention on Yin Ren.
“Well, it seems like I’m going to win.” Yin Ren’s tone suddenly became cheerful, as if he had won a small game.
He leaned down once again, kissing Zhong Chengshuo’s lips.
With the smile of a victorious person, he licked the remaining bloodstained lips. Zhong Chengshuo didn’t tightly seal his lips this time. Instead, he tentatively extended his hand and held the back of Yin Ren’s head.
Yin Ren eagerly deepened the kiss, and Zhong Chengshuo tilted his head in response, cooperating with his lover’s movements. Yin Ren’s tongue ventured forward, but instead of encountering hard teeth or a soft tongue, it touched a warm, moist wooden object.
As soon as Zhong Chengshuo’s lips parted, a chilling and fierce power burst out from between his teeth.
It was the wooden rabbit talisman.
“Ugh!!!”
Yin Ren tried to dodge, but his head was forcefully held down by Zhong Chengshuo. The wooden rabbit talisman was pushed by Zhong Chengshuo’s tongue into Yin Ren’s mouth. Yin Ren’s hair stood on end—upon contact with the wooden talisman, the surroundings instantly became distorted and blurred, as if a liquid was constantly surging.
No, I’m disappearing!
In this crisis, Yin Ren had no time to think about whether he liked this state or not. He immediately released the spell of the “Innocent Thoughts”. As expected, as if the fog had dispersed, the familiar living room returned to normal clarity.
Yin Ren felt a moment of confusion, then met Zhong Chengshuo’s complex gaze.
Yin Ren: “…………”
Zhong Chengshuo: “…………”
Zhong Chengshuo watched as the expression in his lover’s eyes changed from confusion to horror, and then to explosive embarrassment. Yin Ren’s face turned almost the same color as his eyes, and he immediately gathered up his scattered hair, wanting to awkwardly get up—however, given their current intimate position, this movement was quite difficult.
So Zhong Chengshuo kindly reached out his hand and pressed down on Yin Ren, who wanted to slip away.
Yin Ren immediately made a muffled sound, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly. His body trembled slightly, and his face seemed to change like a kaleidoscope.
“This is… seduction!”
The dignified Lord Ghost King had long lost his previous air of dominance. He tried to take the initiative, but his confidence was clearly hollow.
“Zhong Chengshuo, how could your control plan be so… so—”
He couldn’t continue speaking.
“We are accomplices, and I had to choose a method you absolutely couldn’t anticipate.”
Zhong Chengshuo’s limbs had already regained their freedom, and his palm slid over the strands of hair soaked with sweat. The clusters of wings stiffened for a moment and then shrank into a ball. However, someone with a vengeful mindset held onto one of the clusters, kneading it gently.
“Well, umm…” Yin Ren sniffed and slowly pried Zhong Chengshuo’s hand away. “The experiment went quite smoothly, so let’s stop here… Uh!”
Zhong Chengshuo readily released the cluster of wing balls, but his hand returned to Yin Ren’s body.
“Well, um, the thing that I knocked away just now… um…”
“You can find out for yourself.”
Amidst the jolting, a strand of black hair wiggled and poked into the depths of the sofa. After a few minutes, it trembled as it hooked out a blood-stained pen cap. Looking at the table, there was still a pen lying on the surface—the very pen that Zhong Chengshuo had used for annotations just now.
Yin Ren’s mind had long been free from the distractions of uncontrollable affection, and he instantly understood this person’s intentions—
Zhong Chengshuo deliberately reduced communication and “sealed” the wooden talisman in his mouth. Then he used blood to stain the pen cap, impersonating the wooden talisman, and pretended to entice Yin Ren to knock it away.
Finally, all Zhong Chengshuo needed was to request a kiss in an atmosphere that wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
For the lightning-fast King Yama, even the magic tricks of mortals were no different from spells in his hands.
Truly cunning.
The entanglement was not yet over. In his gradually fading consciousness, Yin Ren made an effort to lower his body, burying his burning face in the nape of Zhong Chengshuo’s neck.
……
As the clock approached five in the morning, the two of them squeezed into Zhong Chengshuo’s bathtub. Yin Ren had half of his face submerged in the water, blowing bubbles with a melancholic expression.
“Are you sure you’re a Primordial Elemental and not a rabbit monster?” Yin Ren suddenly emerged from the water with a stern face. “Stop laughing. You’re just reveling in my misfortune.”
Zhong Chengshuo pointed to the numerous bite marks all over his body.
Yin Ren immediately deflated like a balloon, making a couple of deflated sounds as he gently touched the scabbing wounds. “I’m sorry. I’ll help you apply medicine later.”
“It’s okay. The wounds are shallow.” Zhong Chengshuo pinched a strand of Yin Ren’s hair—at the end of the hair, a small, withered wing hung limply, making it difficult to tell whether it was pretending to be lifeless or not.
“I… Even though I asked you to prepare in advance, to be honest, I didn’t expect it to turn out like that.”
Yin Ren hung his head in dejection; his entire being turned into the color of a thoroughly cooked crab, as if steam would come out from the top of his head.
“I thought that as long as I liked you so much, nothing bad would happen. That state was truly terrifying, like losing my mind and becoming fanatical.”
It was only because Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t affected by memory spells. Otherwise, Yin Ren would have wanted to erase all memories of tonight—regardless of whether they were in Zhong Chengshuo’s mind or his own.
Lord Ghost King was embarrassed to the point of wanting to dig a three-foot hole and sleep for another thousand years.
However, Zhong Chengshuo just calmly looked over, absentmindedly rubbing the little wing between his fingers. That pitiful soft wing trembled and almost dissolved into a squishy liquid.
“At least the experiment was successful, and our hypothesis was correct. The missing people are all of the type who rely on ‘love’ as their life support. Once it’s daylight, we’ll synchronize our findings. Maybe we can find a stable method to enter the Other Side.”
Zhong Chengshuo analyzed seriously while piling a ball of foam on top of Yin Ren’s head.
“For now, I don’t want to discuss this. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, for real this time,” Yin Ren weakly stated. “I won’t touch that thing even if you beat me to death next time. What kind of rotten idea did Hu Tao come up with…”
“It’s already ‘tomorrow’,” Zhong Chengshuo pointed out mercilessly.
This time, Yin Ren submerged his entire head underwater, exhaling bubbles filled with despair.
“Yin Ren.” Zhong Chengshuo continued observing Yin Ren as he continued to blow bubbles underwater and called out to him.
Yin Ren pretended not to hear and remained submerged, shutting himself off from the world.
“Yin Ren, come out. I have something to tell you,” Zhong Chengshuo urged.
Yin Ren finally resurfaced; his entire body was still pink from the water. When he spoke, there was a sense of resignation in his voice. “…Go ahead, tell me.”
“To be honest, I’ve been thinking today that maybe I don’t like you as much as I thought.” Zhong Chengshuo pushed aside the wet hair on Yin Ren’s face; his eyes still resembled two dry wells.
The pink hue on Yin Ren’s skin immediately faded, and he froze in place, gradually turning pale.
“But tonight, I realized that I actually like you more than I imagined,” Zhong Chengshuo continued, enunciating each word distinctly.
Then he opened his arms and, without waiting for Yin Ren’s reaction, embraced him. Their skins pressed against each other, and the water temperature was just right. Yin Ren was stunned for a few seconds before tightening his embrace.
“You did it on purpose,” he said, encircling Zhong Chengshuo’s neck and gently biting his ear.
This time, Yin Ren left only a faint mark.
A warm atmosphere filled the air once again, bringing a comforting tranquility. In this reassuring sense of fulfillment, Zhong Chengshuo closed his eyes.
“You won,” Zhong Chengshuo whispered softly. “You bet that I would make a sound for you before dawn, and you won.”
“…Please, spare me, Zhong Ge. I’m begging you, don’t bring that up again,” Yin Ren pleaded, pressing his forehead against Zhong Chengshuo’s, feeling utterly embarrassed. He even submerged himself completely in the water again.
Zhong Chengshuo leaned against Yin Ren’s forehead, unable to contain his laughter any longer. The latter, filled with both anger and humiliation, lowered himself, allowing the water to completely submerge him.
Watching Yin Ren’s powerless and wriggling hair, Zhong Chengshuo closed his eyes.
He still remembered the scene when he first obtained the pill.
After receiving the clues provided by Hu Tao, he immediately searched for information. “Innocent Thoughts” was a metaphysical prescription that had emerged in recent years. It could make people lose their sanity, lose interest in food and drink, and fill their minds with adoration for the target. This thing wasn’t really popular. According to the seller, most buyers were infatuated men and women who used this medication for revenge. There were also a few “black widows” and “black widowers” who used it to control wealthy elderly people.
Thinking about it, there were no normal couples in love buying these things.
Zhong Chengshuo, in fact, found this somewhat perplexing.
Experiencing a very pure emotion firsthand, wasn’t it a good thing? If it weren’t for him being unaffected by these metaphysical items, Zhong Chengshuo would have loved to experience that feeling of “pure love” himself.
At that moment, the two of them were flying in the air. Zhong Chengshuo looked at Yin Ren’s face. In the next moment, Yin Ren seemed to sense his gaze and playfully narrowed his eyes at him.
However, Zhong Chengshuo’s mood wasn’t as relaxed as it seemed.
He did care about Yin Ren. When they were apart, he would worry, and when they were together, he would long to touch him. Being together made his emotions lighter and brighter than before.
But it was only limited to that.
Compared to the probing and underlying currents before they got together, now that they were truly sharing their lives and meals; seemingly everything was somewhat mundane. Especially since Yin Ren was skilled in navigating social interactions and had a sense of propriety, they rarely had sharp conflicts.
Zhong Chengshuo was certain that he liked Yin Ren a lot.
He was the first person Zhong Chengshuo reached out to in the vast emptiness; the first of his kind that he encountered during these lonely years in the mortal realm.
But was his liking a genuine expression of love, or had he mistaken their prolonged intimacy as adoration?
He couldn’t feel the fervent love described in those narratives. Previously, Zhong Chengshuo claimed not to care about these “meaningless” details, but recently, with the unrest in the outside world, he couldn’t stop his thoughts.
“Zhong Chengshuo, why do I feel like you’re somewhat enjoying this situation?” Yin Ren had asked when he was about to take the pill.
At that time, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t answer Yin Ren.
In truth, he wasn’t enjoying it, but rather, he had a slight desire to try it. “Innocent Thoughts” wouldn’t blindly stimulate love but rather remove other emotions and purify the purest feelings. Only then would everything become clear. With a definite result, he wouldn’t have to worry so much.
Yin Ren was different from him. He firmly believed that he would be affected by uncontrollable love, but he had no concerns about the nature of their own relationship.
How did Yin Ren determine what “like” meant?
As for himself? Would he be like he was a thousand years ago, merely assuming an innocent facade and using that person to achieve his own goals? …If Yin Ren were to be replaced by another strong and compatible person, would he also “fall in love” with them?
Now he had an answer.
Uncontrolled Yin Ren was just as strong and acted in harmony with him. If Zhong Chengshuo wanted, he could also calmly cooperate with Yin Ren. However, as he looked at Yin Ren in that state, his heart was filled with a hollow emptiness and an indescribable sadness.
Zhong Chengshuo gently tousled Yin Ren’s hair.
“How about having lamb rice noodles?”
“Yes!” Yin Ren immediately resurfaced from the water and instinctively exclaimed, only to realize afterward. “Wait, didn’t you only cook one serving?”
“I just overcooked the soup. The rice noodles don’t need to be cooked for too long.”
Zhong Chengshuo rested his chin on Yin Ren’s shoulder, carefully feeling his body temperature.
“I’ll add some more meat and eggs. It’ll be perfect for breakfast.”
“Sure, go ahead.” Yin Ren took a deep breath, deciding to put this unbearable night behind him.
Anyway, they had found the cause of the disappearances, and it was worth exchanging his embarrassment for such valuable information. Besides… Although he lost control, tonight’s experience was still quite thrilling and exciting. He did feel sorry for Zhong Chengshuo, who ended up with marks all over his body from his biting.
Thinking about this, Yin Ren shook his head vigorously, hoping to shake off the overwhelming shame in his mind.
Zhong Chengshuo’s special lamb soup must have been stewed for a long time, and it must be delicious. A bowl of warm and tasty lamb rice noodles would help put the past behind!
Unable to dodge in time, Zhong Chengshuo, whose face was splashed with water: “……”
Zhong Chengshuo: “Oh, by the way, there’s one more thing. I thought it was necessary to let you know.”
“What is it?”
“To ensure a complete record, I used an anti-evil qi recording pen to capture the audio from last night.” Zhong Chengshuo maintained a solemn expression. “Do you want to listen to it?”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
In the morning, amidst the sound of the audio alarm clock saying, “Is work more important than me?” Yin Ren, who usually liked to sleep in, jolted up as if he was blasted. A few sob-like sounds escaped his throat.
When he went to Shian today, he should also ask about “how to make a science post forget”.
……
“Well, your information is very useful.”
Li Nian pretended not to notice the bite marks on Zhong Chengshuo’s collar that couldn’t be concealed.
“If your conjecture is correct, the victims won’t be in immediate danger. I will start a project on my end to find a way to “stably disappear” and quickly establish a pathway.”
“How long will it take?” Yin Ren coughed dryly twice.
“According to Minister Jiao, if we only consider constructing the pathway, it will take five days. Finding a safe method for round trips is the more time-consuming part.”
“…I see.”
Yin Ren contemplated for a moment.
“Great, you guys keep up with the research. As for us… well, since we have nothing better to do, let’s go check on those who haven’t disappeared.”
After all, Qi Xin had promised them that if Yin Ren could kill Mr. Le, they could officially establish cooperation with her.
Yin Ren wasn’t sure about the intentions of the Primordial Elementals, and although he wanted to rescue Lu Xiaohe’s missing mother, he didn’t want to involve Zhong Chengshuo in any danger. Qi Xin’s original form should still be on the Other Side and having a “local” to assist would be better than stumbling around blindly.
“Besides, the police station has been overwhelmed recently, and they happen to be short-staffed.”
At some point, Fu Xingchuan appeared leaning against the doorway. He held some documents, and his tone wasn’t as relaxed as usual.
“You’ve been in contact with Officer Sun before. He’s currently dealing with a live burial case, and the atmosphere in Haigu has been off lately. It would be better for you to go and take a look.”
“No problem.”
Yin Ren responded quickly. It was like being offered a pillow when feeling sleepy; he was actually looking for an excuse to investigate a “non-disappearance case”.
“We’ll go today.”
Evil As Humans Ch193
Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
* * *
Chapter 193: Motive for Murder
“Is everything okay with Uncle?”
On the way to the Municipal Hospital, Ge Tingting asked anxiously.
At this moment, the members of Unit 9 were sitting in a van. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo occupied the last row, while Lu Xiaohe and Ge Tingting sat in the middle row. Huang Jin, a loner, huddled in the front passenger seat, emitting a sense of hatred towards the whole world.
Since narrowly escaping the Other Side, Huang Jin immediately took a leave of absence and rested for a day. Ever since his “persistent affection for Ding Lizi” was made public to all colleagues, he wished to use all his vacation time to escape reality.
However, the progress of the case was too fast, and Huang Jin’s ostrich plan failed in just one day.
“My dad is fine. I’ve talked to him. Minister Li isn’t someone who would lie about these things. He said that Mom won’t have any problems in the short term, so she’ll be fine.”
After receiving the explanation from Shian, Lu Xiaohe managed to get some sleep and finally no longer wore a haggard expression.
