Chapter 111: You Taught Me Desire, Tears, Pain, and Love

“Knock, knock.”

The knocking sound at the door rang out again.

This time, “Alice’s” voice carried a subtle hint of urgency: “Open the door quickly. It won’t taste good if the food gets cold.”

Wen Chu watched the surveillance footage at the door and took a step back.

He could basically confirm that the “Alice” in front of him was Daisy.

However, he didn’t yet know what tricks Daisy had up her sleeve, nor the condition of the real “Alice.” Rashly exposing her would only bring trouble to everyone.

Opening the door, on the other hand, might lead to danger.

He needed to find a way to keep “Alice” there without alerting her to anything amiss, while also ensuring his own safety.

Wen Chu’s brain whirred into high gear, searching for a solution.

Seeing no response from him for quite a while, the person outside grew anxious, her voice involuntarily getting louder: “Wen Chu? Are you listening to me?”

“I…”

Wen Chu was about to speak when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the background in the surveillance feed.

Behind her, groups of two or three gods were slowing their pace, intentionally or unintentionally passing by.

Wen Chu didn’t recognize them.

But based on what Xiu had said yesterday, these were likely gods who were either curious about him or held malicious intent. Right now, they were probably waiting for him to open the door so they could see exactly what kind of sacred being he was.

Wen Chu blinked, and a plan formed in his mind.

He quickly went back and packed the breakfast he hadn’t finished earlier, wrapping it to look like a bento box, then ran all the way to the door.

“Alice” had been waiting at the door for so long that she almost thought Wen Chu had sensed something wrong.

Just as she was preparing to leave before attracting undue attention, the door suddenly opened.

A white-haired youth timidly poked his head out, clutching a pink bento bag: “I promised Xiu I’d make him lunch. I miss him so much. Can you take me to find Xiu?”

As he spoke, his long white eyelashes fluttered, looking as if he were on the verge of tears.

“Alice” was stunned for a moment and asked with genuine confusion: “You want to find Xiu at a time like this? Aren’t you afraid of encountering danger?”

Wen Chu lowered his head, his voice trembling: “But I’m scared, I miss him…”

“Alice”: …

Where did this love-struck fool come from?

She took a deep breath. Just as she was about to hand over the lunch box in her hand and refuse, she heard Wen Chu continue: “If you won’t take me, I’ll go find a god back there to take me.”

As he spoke, he pointed behind her.

“Alice” looked in the direction he was pointing, only to discover that at some point, a circle of gods had gathered behind her to watch the spectacle.

These gods looked at Wen Chu one moment and at her the next, whispering amongst themselves.

“See, James told me before that he was very pretty…”

“Why does he look so sickly? Did he not get enough to eat before?”

“Wasn’t Alice just a bag of bones when she first arrived too?”

“Did he really get in through the back door? If he doesn’t pass the test, is Xiu going to force him through?”

After Xiu found Wen Chu, he hadn’t made a big fuss about it. He had only reported it to the Guild, aiming to put less pressure on Wen Chu.

But due to Daisy’s deliberate maneuvering, practically the entire Divine Realm now knew of Wen Chu’s existence.

Xiu’s residence, which no god had dared to approach before, had directly become a popular tourist spot.

Daisy finally realized the trickiness of the situation.

She hadn’t taken Wen Chu seriously before; her main target had always been Xiu.

That was why she had been exceptionally careless in dealing with Wen Chu. She had simply knocked out the person Xiu arranged to deliver food, poisoned the meal, and prepared to let Xiu taste the pain of losing a loved one.

But if Wen Chu didn’t eat at all, and even walked out of the house in full view of everyone, she would have absolutely no chance to make a move on him.

Was this love-struck fool’s luck really that good?

Watching Wen Chu walk out gingerly clutching the lunch box, Daisy gritted her teeth so hard they nearly shattered, but she could only force an awkward smile: “Alright, then you must follow me closely.”

As long as she wasn’t discovered right now, there would be plenty of opportunities to strike on the way.

Killing his lover right in front of Xiu would be an even more beautiful event.

Thinking this, Daisy’s mood improved again, and the smile on her face held firm.

Wen Chu also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Great, he wasn’t exposed.

Acting as if he had no mind of his own, he trotted alongside “Alice,” asking with feigned curiosity: “Do you know where Xiu is right now? He’s always busy outside for so long and never tells me where he is. I can never find him on my own.”

“Alice’s” steps faltered slightly. She glanced at the white-haired youth beside her, a complex emotion flashing through her eyes before disappearing instantly.

“He’s at the Guild,” Daisy said, unable to resist a sarcastic jab. “He’s very busy with work. The gap between you two is so large; it’s normal that he has no time for you. You two won’t last long going on like this.”

“Oh…” Wen Chu responded sluggishly and lowered his head.

His small wings also folded inward slightly, looking as if her words had made him withdraw into himself.

Daisy’s mood also soured as memories of the past resurfaced.

Her marriage with Pearl hadn’t exactly been harmonious.

She was always suspicious, and Pearl was busy making a living. After countless arguments, she finally exploded.

“In the end, isn’t it just because you’re incompetent! I used to be a princess! Look at the life I’m living now! If it weren’t for you, I never would have come to the Divine Realm!”

“You want me to wait? How am I supposed to wait? Do you expect me to watch myself grow old while you have women in every arm? What’s the use of your fixed salary? Unless you die, there’s no way to transfer it to me. If you have the ability, go rob someone! Just like before, steal the things I want!”

Pearl had kept his head down then, saying nothing.

The next day, Pearl didn’t come home.

Nor the third day.

It wasn’t until the fourth day, when an unbearable Daisy rushed out of the house to settle the score with him, that she received the news that Pearl had been terminated.

It was only then that this little princess, protected by Pearl all the way to the Divine Realm, finally discovered that the world did not revolve around her.

Pearl and she were merely members of the multitude of gods here. Mistakes were punished by death. She didn’t even have time to say goodbye before she had to hastily begin her escape.

Daisy didn’t have time to take anything, but she remembered the god who executed Pearl:

—Xiu.

Relying on all the power Pearl had transferred to her before his execution, Daisy had survived until now.

Was it her fault?

Daisy refused to admit it.

She had just had an argument with Pearl, just like every day before. Pearl had simply acted on impulse.

Why wasn’t Xiu willing to give Pearl a chance to atone for his crimes? And who was he putting on this show of impartial law enforcement for?

Couldn’t a god have their own selfish motives? She didn’t believe Xiu didn’t have a shred of worldly desire.

Like a ghost, Daisy stared fixatedly at Xiu, watching him rise through the ranks and then retire.

The power Pearl left her couldn’t sustain her much longer, yet Xiu was already living a worry-free life in retirement.

Just when Daisy almost wanted to give up, Xiu met Wen Chu.

To this day, Daisy could still recall the scene.

The God of the End, who had always been high above the masses without a ripple of emotion, showed emotional fluctuation on his joyless, sorrowless face for the first time upon seeing the white-haired youth drowning in the seawater.

Astonishment, worry, urgency…

Without any hesitation, the golden deity descended and saved the drowning boy.

Afterward, Xiu reported to the Guild that he had found a god capable of taking on the role of New Life.

Daisy couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically.

Is this the god without any selfish motives?

Xiu’s selfishness was clearly more obvious than anyone else’s; he was even willing to lie about the identity of the one he loved to save him.

Daisy scoffed softly: “Forcing your way into a circle where you don’t belong… facing separation in the end serves you right.”

Wen Chu tightened his grip on the lunch box.

He lowered his eyes and said: “Then what if I work harder to get closer to Xiu?”

“After I pass the test, it doesn’t matter if there’s no suitable job. I can work part-time. I can cook, and I learn quickly. I saw a recruitment ad printed on the Divine Tea cup; I can shake milk tea too.”

Wen Chu had truly thought about this.

Making money to support the family—he had thought about it many times. It was a pity Xiu never gave him a chance to put it into practice.

Working part-time in the Divine Realm was much safer than working on the Continent of Light. He wouldn’t have to tear apart demon beasts with his bare hands; just shaking milk tea could earn him the power to survive.

Daisy was stunned: “You’re hated by so many gods right now. Aren’t you afraid of being picked on?”

“I can’t just not work because I’m afraid of trouble, can I?” Wen Chu pursed his lips in a smile. “Home belongs to the two of us, after all.”

Seeing Daisy’s dazed expression, Wen Chu smiled and stopped talking.

If it were the little jellyfish from the very beginning, perhaps he really would have been swayed by Daisy, started doubting himself, and gone down the old path.

But Xiu had said that he didn’t get in through the back door; he had walked up here step by step on his own.

Through all the stumbling and staggering on this journey, Xiu had always stood there waiting for him, and even walked toward him.

If he still couldn’t reach Xiu’s side like this, that would be a bit too useless.

The gazes of others weren’t even worth mentioning.

From beginning to end, the only one he cared about was Xiu.

Daisy seemed completely unprepared for Wen Chu’s answer. It took a long time before she said, pale and weak: “Shaking milk tea is very tiring.”

Wen Chu extended his arm: “I’m very strong.”

Daisy looked at Wen Chu’s slender, frail arm and expressed skepticism.

She didn’t argue, only lowering her eyes to continue: “The gap between your jobs is too big. You’ll embarrass him. Besides, he’s outside for so long; he will eventually have a change of heart. What’s more, you might not pass the test at all and won’t even have the qualification to work part-time.”

Wen Chu didn’t argue.

What Daisy was talking about was no longer him and Xiu, but herself and Pearl.

He just listened while thinking about how to find an opportunity to strike.

The two walked all the way toward the Guild. Many gods passed by them, watching the drama, but deterred by “Alice’s” martial prowess, they dared not approach casually.

Wen Chu saw the Guild’s sign from a distance.

“Alice” also deliberately slowed her pace, getting closer and closer to him.

Under her sleeve, a cold light flashed.

Both were waiting for the optimal moment to strike.

Just then, the Guild’s door opened.

Xiu walked out with a cold expression, following a middle-aged woman.

The woman was well-maintained, gentle, and mature. She was smiling and saying something to Xiu. Xiu listened quietly, but when he looked up and saw Wen Chu beside “Alice,” a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

Daisy smiled with malice and spoke very quickly: “Look, isn’t that cheating? It’s only been two days, and he doesn’t love you anymore.”

As she spoke, seizing the moment Wen Chu was shocked and distracted, the knife in her sleeve slid out, and she moved to restrain him instantly.

But unexpectedly, Wen Chu didn’t pause in the slightest. As if he had anticipated it, he smashed the lunch box in his hand right into her face, and then, taking advantage of the moment her vision was blocked, snatched her knife.

Wen Chu was slightly shorter than Daisy, so he simply used his tentacles to restrain Daisy’s hands, pressed the knife against her back over her heart, and shouted: “Xiu! This is Daisy! Come help quickly!”

Xiu didn’t hesitate for half a second. He extended his hand and hurled a ball of golden light, which landed on Daisy’s calf.

Accompanied by the woman’s scream, Daisy’s calf melted under the light orb, completely depriving her of mobility.

The gods on the street were stunned by this sudden turn of events. It took several seconds for them to react, and they scattered and retreated into the distance.

Xiu strode over, taking Daisy from Wen Chu’s hands. His expression was tense as he looked Wen Chu up and down: “What happened? Why were you with her? Are you hurt?”

Wen Chu shook his head: “No, she disguised herself as Alice to find me and even brought me food.”

Ville also stepped forward. Hearing this, she crouched down and picked up the lunch box that had fallen to the ground.

The moment she opened it, her expression changed slightly: “It’s poisoned.”

Xiu’s expression grew even colder. He immediately choked Daisy by the throat: “What exactly do you want to do?”

“Cough, cough cough…”

Daisy’s face turned red from being choked. The disguise on her face gradually faded, revealing the woman’s glamorous and exquisite features.

She stared at Xiu with venomous spite: “Don’t you know clearly what I want to do?”

“When you sat high above, judging Pearl without giving him any chance to explain, did you ever think that in the future, you would abuse your authority for a piece of trash?”

Xiu frowned: “Shut up.”

Daisy let out a cold laugh: “What’s wrong? You dare to do it but don’t dare let others talk about it? Everyone sees it clearly.”

The surrounding gods gathered around again. Hearing Daisy’s words, their gazes toward Wen Chu and Xiu clearly carried a few more degrees of scrutiny.

“I heard from a friend working part-time at the Guild that they received anonymous report letters yesterday, but the Guild Master ordered everyone not to spread it.”

“Exactly… After all, he is the former Guild Master.”

“Daisy? That name sounds so familiar.”

The buzzing noise made Xiu even more irritable. His grip tightened, and he said coldly: “Although I don’t know what you’ve misunderstood, I truly have not broken any rules for Wen Chu. Pearl chose the death penalty himself back then and asked me not to notify you.”

Daisy didn’t listen to any of Xiu’s earlier words; she just stared angrily at the golden-haired man.

It wasn’t until she heard the name “Pearl” that she finally snapped back to reality.

“Impossible!” Daisy screamed. “I was still waiting for him at home. How could he possibly choose the death penalty!!”

Xiu looked at her calmly: “You know the reason.”

“Before his death, he transferred all his power to you. As long as you realized something was wrong and ran away, his goal would be achieved.”

“As the instigator, you should have been sentenced to labor reform, but instead, you not only fled to escape punishment but also attempted murder.”

Xiu enunciated each word clearly: “Daisy, isn’t the one who has been breaking the rules all along you?”

Daisy’s eyes lost focus, and she screamed hysterically: “Impossible! Pearl wouldn’t do that!”

She stared angrily at Xiu and struggled violently, emitting a dense black aura from her body.

Wen Chu’s brow twitched; he sensed something was wrong.

But before he could step forward, a terrifyingly powerful force suddenly erupted from Daisy, who had been firmly pinned down, allowing her to break free from Xiu’s restraints.

Without a knife, she formed her fingers into claws and viciously attacked Xiu’s heart.

Pfft—

The sound of fingers sinking into flesh was heard.

Xiu hadn’t expected Daisy to resist further. He only managed to avoid a fatal strike, but a large hole was torn open in his chest.

“Xiu!!” Wen Chu rushed forward, yanking Daisy to the ground with one hand and hugging Xiu anxiously.

Blood poured from Xiu’s chest, quickly soaking his clothes and dripping down the hem onto the ground.

The smell of blood spread out.

The surrounding gods were stunned by this sudden change.

In the end, it was Ville who reacted first, stepping forward to restrain Daisy, who was attempting to flee in the chaos.

“Xiu.” Wen Chu’s eyes were red, and he was about to cry again.

His trembling hand touched Xiu’s chest, his whole body shaking with fear: “Don’t be afraid, I’ll heal you. I-I won’t let you die…”

Xiu looked helplessly at Wen Chu, who had already started babbling nonsense.

He was already a god; there was no logic in dying on the spot just from bleeding a little.

“I’m fine,” he comforted softly.

However, Wen Chu couldn’t listen at all.

He could only see the blood filling his vision; his mind was consumed by the fear of losing Xiu.

In extreme terror, he couldn’t even shed tears.

Only one thought remained in his mind:

Save Xiu.

Accompanying this thought, a soft white light emanated from his fingertips, covering Xiu’s chest under Xiu’s astonished gaze.

A gentle, yet powerfully undeniable force radiated out.

Everyone was shocked. Ville, busy tying up Daisy, couldn’t help but take a second look.

“Is this…” Ville stared intently at the soft white light full of vitality, “New Life?”

In just two or three seconds, the white light dissipated.

Xiu’s chest, which had been bleeding profusely, was completely restored. Even his clothes were renewed along with it.

Gasps rose and fell all around.

Wen Chu, with a pale face, threw himself into Xiu’s arms.

“You scared me to death.” His voice was muffled. “Why didn’t you dodge? Does it hurt? What would I do if you died? Do you want me to be a widow?”

Wen Chu wanted to cry, but the more he spoke, the angrier he got.

With red-rimmed eyes, he looked up to glare at Xiu, only to find Xiu looking at him with a light smile.

“What’s with your attitude? I’m angry!” Wen Chu was so mad he wanted to stomp his feet.

Xiu held it back again and again, but couldn’t stop the smile at the corners of his mouth.

He lowered his head, cupped Wen Chu’s face, and planted a kiss as light as a dragonfly skimming water.

“I’m listening to your lecture with a good attitude,” Xiu said softly. “I just couldn’t help thinking, how did you get so amazing?”

They hadn’t seen each other for just half a day, yet he had caught Daisy and incidentally learned how to use his ability.

It was just that the energy fluctuation was somewhat familiar.

It was almost like an inversion of his own power.

Xiu paused slightly, suddenly forming an extremely outrageous guess.

“Are you…” He opened his mouth to speak, but because there were too many gods watching around them, it ultimately wasn’t appropriate to say out loud.

After a while, Xiu gave up, sighing as he patted Wen Chu’s head: “Forget it, we’ll talk at home. Don’t cry. Aren’t I perfectly fine? Even if you didn’t heal this small injury, I wouldn’t have died.”

Wen Chu’s tone was gloomy: “Small injury?”

Xiu: “…”

Xiu shut his mouth guiltily.

Just then, Daisy’s hoarse voice came from beside them.

“…Why?”

She looked at Wen Chu in disbelief.

“Shouldn’t you be trash? Aren’t you a failed experiment that Xiu picked up from the laboratory? How could you possibly possess the power of a god?”

Daisy no longer had her calves and was tied up by Ville. At this moment, she could only slump miserably on the ground, looking at Wen Chu with madness and paranoia.

“You should be a piece of trash who can’t do anything right!!”

Wen Chu felt Xiu’s arm tighten around him.

He gave Xiu a look to signal him to rest easy, then let go of Xiu and walked in front of Daisy.

That strike just now seemed to have overdrawn Daisy’s life force. The glamorous woman now looked incredibly aged, as if she might breathe her last in the next second.

Wen Chu answered seriously: “No, I’m different from you.”

“If you want to talk about problems, your first reaction to seeing Xiu save me was that Xiu opened a back door for me. That’s what’s wrong, isn’t it? Who thinks like that? And deliberately spreads rumors?”

“Are you hating me and Xiu, or are you hating yourself?”

Daisy froze in place.

Wen Chu raised his eyes and looked at the gods surrounding them with their varying expressions.

The seeds of doubt had already been planted; now was the best time to explain.

If he didn’t explain clearly now, the reputation of Xiu and the Guild would likely plummet.

Wen Chu slowly recalled and explained: “You’re right. For a long time, I was a failed test subject.”

“Back then, I didn’t even know how to breathe. I stayed in a hospital room every day, and no one wanted to pay attention to me. I could only talk to myself. The happiest thing was when a nurse sister cooked longevity noodles for me.”

“So, when the apocalypse came, I was naturally abandoned. I almost died then; it was Xiu who saved me.”

“Not because of the abuse of power you mentioned, but because he discovered the ability within me. I proved myself just now.”

As Wen Chu spoke, a white light lit up at his fingertips and fell on Daisy’s leg.

The calf that had just been destroyed by Xiu actually grew back bit by bit under everyone’s gaze.

“What is going on?”

The gods nearby couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Gods injured by Aflond in the past couldn’t be restored by any healing means. He can actually heal Daisy?!?”

Wen Chu was slightly surprised.

While restoring Daisy’s leg, he could feel Xiu’s power acting upon it. Because of this, he could clearly perceive that his power was completely opposite to Xiu’s.

Connecting this to what happened last night, Wen Chu suddenly had a bold guess about his sudden manifestation of power.

But now was not the time to talk. He planned to experiment properly after returning.

He lowered his eyes and continued: “I am different from you, and Xiu is different from Pearl.”

“Xiu took me through four worlds. He spent hundreds of years guarding me and teaching me.”

“Before this, I was a failed product no one cared about. But Xiu never thought so. He was always pushing me forward, letting me grow, so that while walking toward me, he allowed me to walk to his side.”

If it were purely lust, Xiu wouldn’t have needed to teach him what true love looked like.

Given how stupid he was at the start, as long as Xiu agreed to mate with him, he would have foolishly followed Xiu anywhere.

“Love is mutual,” Wen Chu said softly. “This is what Xiu taught me.”

“He taught me desire, tears, pain, and love. You say I am the same as you; I don’t agree.”

“Because I will never wait in the same place. I will move forward. No matter what means I have to use, I will get close to Xiu. Even if I hurt myself, I will not hurt Xiu.”

The surroundings were silent.

Wen Chu felt much better after speaking. When he looked up, he realized that all the gods, including Ville, were looking at him with unfamiliar gazes.

Not contempt, nor surprise.

But with an attitude of scrutiny, placing him as an independent individual rather than Xiu’s appendage, seriously examining and re-evaluating him.

Wen Chu felt a bit shy. He flapped his wings and instinctively wanted to go find Xiu.

But Xiu had already arrived at his side first.

Ville couldn’t help but sigh with emotion: “You’ve grown a lot compared to back then, Wen Chu.”

Wen Chu looked at Ville’s familiar eyes, paused for a moment, then held Xiu’s hand and pursed his lips in a smile: “Xiu has always accompanied me patiently.”

Accompanying him, from a little jellyfish to his current form.

Using countless tears and countless years to give a monster originally seen as a failure a beating heart.

A heart that beat only for him.

Wen Chu looked at Xiu.

Those transparent blue, icy eyes would only soften abruptly when meeting his gaze.

He loved Xiu, and Xiu favored him equally.

Helping each other like fish in a drying pond, loving each other deeply, until eternity.