Live Together

"Chang'an, you are the eldest son in the family. If one day Dad is no longer around, you have to take on this family, you hear?"

"Dad, why would you no longer be around?"

"Everyone has that day, maybe mine will come a little sooner. You're my only son, the hope of the whole family."

"I might not be able to do it."

"Even if you can't do it, you still have to try. I've been struggling my whole life, when I fall down I stand back up and keep struggling, even when my bones are broken I still crawl forward. If one day you are about to die, you still have to die standing!"

Looking at the azure sky, Chang'an smiled bitterly, "I'm sorry Dad, I can't stand up anymore."

He tried his best to open his eyes wide, but darkness still came. His heart was no longer strong, feeble and weak, but he still struggled to beat a few more times.

Little Jiangjiang, I'm sorry I can't say goodbye to you in person.

I'm sorry I can't stop Brother Lin from going back home.

Wu, I really look forward to seeing how far you can go, whether you can accomplish the nine trials that I could not.

Mom... I'm sorry. You can rent out my room now. I hope the insurance money can be dowry for my sister.

I've forgotten what my sister looks like. I'm such a worthless brother.

No more fighting from now on...

As he closed his eyes, the last face that appeared in Chang'an's mind was someone rather unfamiliar.

That's right, it was the owner of the restaurant, who said some chuunibyou things like an idiot, completely incomprehensible. I don't even know why I told him my name at the end.

I always do such incomprehensible things in my life...

-----

Since coming to Jiang Shuibu's shop, besides sleeping and eating, Wu Liuyan did not have any free time for anything else. In just a few days, she had already gotten used to life in the shop.

At this moment, while washing cups, it didn't stop her from talking. "Uncle Jiang, when will Chang'an come back?"

"Probably a few more days... What did you call me?" Jiang Shuibu turned his head back, drinking wine. "You call me uncle, but you call him directly by name?"

Wu Liuyan nodded. The former naivete was gone. As for timidity, she never had it. She carefully stacked the cups before continuing. "I'm going to marry him in the future, so it's fine to call him by name now."

"What?" Jiang Shuibu stood up, shock, disdain, jealousy and other emotions flickering across his face.

"I'm a woman, Chang'an is a man, is it weird for me to marry him? I know I'm not good looking, even a bit scary, but I only want this status. Anyway there's no monogamy now, I don't mind if he takes other wives." Wu Liuyan spoke these shocking words lightly, as if discussing the weather.

Jiang Shuibu opened his mouth, but did not know what to retort. This humble request did indeed seem to have no fault. But still, it was unpleasant.

After rubbing her neck, Wu Liuyan picked up the unfinished cups and continued. "Uncle Jiang, you like my Chang'an too, right? The kind of like where you want to be lovers."

A breeze blew by, and an afterimage of Jiang Shuibu remained in place while his true body had already grabbed Wu Liuyan by the throat and lifted her up, his face hideously distorted. "What did you say?"

"Did I say something wrong? Since I was little I could see the like and disgust in other people's eyes. Go easier, Uncle Jiang, you're about to break my neck." Wu Liuyan grabbed Jiang Shuibu's wrist, showing no sense of impending death.

Jiang Shuibu silently put Wu Liuyan down, momentarily at a loss for words. Although it wasn't much of a secret to him, hearing it from Wu Liuyan's mouth made him uncomfortable.

Wu Liuyan picked up the unfinished cups and continued speaking. "If Uncle Jiang teaches me properly, not just cooking and washing up, maybe in the future I can help you too."

"...Don't say such strange things again. I have no such thoughts about Chang'an. Stop washing the cups, I'll teach you some self-defense."

------

I heard that after people die they go to the underworld, but why does the underworld smell like disinfectant?

Chang'an slowly opened his eyes. It was dark in front of him, soft beneath him, and his nasal cavity was filled with a strange mix of medicinal smells.

"So the underworld doesn't smell like disinfectant." He smiled wryly to himself, already sensing the gazes around him.

Wen Anran yawned, taking the damp towel off Chang'an's forehead. "You're pretty heavy, 1.76 meters tall, must be over 80 kg right? What a freakish body fat percentage."

"Thanks." There was no longer the sharp edge or cold aloofness in Chang'an's thanks this time as he looked at Wen Anran.

Clearly somewhat unused to Chang'an's current tone, Wen Anran's hand shook, dropping the wrung-out towel back into the basin.

"Ahem, don't thank me, I saved you to save myself too, compelled by the powers. I didn't want to either."

Chang'an also didn't know why, but he just felt like smiling in this moment, so the corners of his lips turned up as he said, "I thought I was done for this time, and recalled the past. I owe you a huge favor, you can ask me to do one thing for you."

"What, ask you to die for me too?" Wen Anran made a light joke. Of course he knew Chang'an wouldn't agree, he just wanted to show he had no intention of asking Chang'an for repayment.

Beyond Wen Anran's expectations, Chang'an nodded. "Yes, as long as it's not certain death, even if there's only a thread of life, I can help you. Just once though."

By instinct, Wen Anran knew Chang'an wasn't lying. The weight of this response was as heavy as a mountain. As long as he, Wen Anran, spoke, Chang'an would not refuse.

After a long time, Wen Anran pondered something and finally raised his head, speaking seriously. "I want to win. Not just survive, with my abilities I can achieve great things in the military, I may even become legendary! But the premise is that I have to be the victor."

"Okay." Chang'an agreed readily.

"You think there's a chance?" Wen Anran was the one feeling uncertain now.

Chang'an nodded. "Charles will get rid of that manifestation of imagination. He'll find and eliminate most of the powerful one by one. With your powers, we can definitely be the last ones standing."

"With less competitors left, just a few powerful ones, we still have hope. But before that we still need some weapons."

Wen Anran blankly looked at Chang'an, speaking woodenly, "What about you? Don't you want to win?"

Gazing at the night sky, Chang'an smiled.

"I can't always be like this."

"Always be what way?" Wen Anran blurted out instinctively.

"Always dying. You know, the first thing after waking up from death is thinking about what you thought of before dying. Only then do I know what I truly want."

"Years ago I gambled once, and got two friends from it. Before them, my only purpose in life was to survive. After meeting them I realized surviving could also be meaningful."

Wen Anran thought for a bit, then held out his hand to Chang'an. "Do you know the pinky promise?"

The youth who had lived alone since witnessing his family's murder at eleven, and the young man who had turned into a beast after living like the walking dead until sixteen, hooked pinkies.

Making sure to press their thumbs together and stamp it.