TMWTGD CH49

Li Fu’er was true to his word. From the moment he informed Xie Jianwei, he spared no effort in tarnishing his own reputation.

Angels prized purity and advocated steadfast loyalty in romance. Even if there was indulgence in sexual matters, they would at least maintain a facade of holiness in public.

Yet their Archangel took the lead in tearing down this veil of pretense. He hosted a private banquet with a level of debauchery rumored to rival the succubus parties of the Demon Realm.

As a race that championed justice and democracy, the news sparked an immediate outcry, and the next day various newspapers began condemning such behavior.

They didn’t dare name names explicitly just yet, merely dropping relentless hints, hoping the Archangels would place greater value on the Heavenly Clan’s glory and the heavy burdens they carried.

Xie Jianwei also heard plenty of gossip. Rumors like “His Highness Li Fu’er swings both ways!” or “I heard His Highness Li Fu’er took away three four-winged angels last night.” “Heavens, how could our Archangel become like this!” And the hushed murmurs: “So envious… to be able to spend a night with His Highness Li Fu’er…”

These wretched comments made Xie Jianwei rather uncomfortable. When you loved someone, you always wanted them to be seen as flawless. Even knowing it was deliberate, he still couldn’t bear hearing anyone speak ill of him.

Moreover, Li Fu’er was truly wonderful. He hadn’t messed around at all. Those supposed nights spent with multiple angels were merely illusions; in reality, he was by Xie Jianwei’s side the entire time.

Therefore, regardless of how the public outcry raged, Xie Jianwei placed his absolute trust in Li Fu’er.

How could he doubt him when Li Fu’er had gone to such lengths for his sake?

He knew the outside rumors were false, but Loren did not.

Since Li Fu’er’s actions were not meant to be disclosed to anyone, Xie Jianwei kept even Loren in the dark about the truth.

This worried Loren sick. He naturally knew how deeply enamored Xie Jianwei and Li Fu’er had been over the past half-year, even imagining they would spend their lives together, yet now…

It was simply a hideous spectacle.

Loren’s worrying was useless; he couldn’t block the news, and Xie Jianwei was bound to find out eventually.

He had braced himself to open his arms and let Little Wei cry his eyes out, only to find the man utterly composed, showing not the slightest hint of sorrow.

Loren was romantically stunted to begin with. Frankly, he hadn’t quite grasped the profound oaths of eternal love between Xie Jianwei and Li Fu’er previously. Conversely, he found their current state much easier to understand.

After agonizing for a long time, Loren finally asked Xie Jianwei, “Um, did you two break up?”

Only a breakup could explain this phenomenon.

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Loren blinked. “You didn’t? But Li Fu’er…”

Left with no choice, Xie Jianwei lied, “We broke up.”

Loren’s eyes filled with anxiety and concern. “When did this happen? Are… are you okay?” He knew Xie Jianwei; the guy was stubborn. If he truly loved someone, it wouldn’t be easy for him to let go.

Xie Jianwei offered him a smile. “I’m fine. What could possibly be wrong?”

Loren stared at him suspiciously, looking him up and down before saying, “So, you didn’t actually love him?”

Xie Jianwei thought to himself: Didn’t he love him? He did, but he couldn’t say it now. He’d apologize to Loren later.

Thus, Xie Jianwei replied, “I knew very clearly from the start. He’s an angel and I’m a Reaper. There was no way we could ever be together.”

Loren was utterly astonished. “So you were just playing around with him?” He truly hadn’t realized Xie Jianwei was so open-minded.

The corners of Xie Jianwei’s lips curved into a smile. “What else?”

Loren admitted honestly, “I thought you loved him to death…”

“You overthink things. The Heavenly Realm is so boring, and you’re out having fun all day. I had to find something to pass the time…” The moment he finished speaking, he caught sight of the man standing not far away.

With his back turned, Loren didn’t see him and merely replied, “Then I’m relieved. Since you don’t love him, whatever His Highness Li Fu’er wants to play at is none of our business.”

Watching Li Fu’er turn and walk away, Xie Jianwei said anxiously to Loren, “Stop worrying, I know what I’m doing.”

Loren chuckled. “You don’t need to feel lonely either. I’ll take you somewhere fun another day.”

Xie Jianwei brushed him off. “Sure, sure. If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to work.”

Putting his mind at ease, Loren patted his shoulder. “Go on then. We’ll go out and have some fun when we’re free.”

Finally managing to send Loren away, Xie Jianwei still couldn’t find Li Fu’er.

He must have overheard what he just told Loren… but it shouldn’t matter, right? Everything he said was a lie, and Li Fu’er surely knew that. Still, he wanted to explain things to him face to face.

Unable to initiate contact with Li Fu’er, all Xie Jianwei could do was wait in his room.

It wasn’t until evening that Li Fu’er came to find him.

Since Loren wasn’t home, Li Fu’er walked right through the front door.

Upon seeing him, Xie Jianwei immediately said, “This afternoon…”

Li Fu’er remained silent.

Xie Jianwei explained, “I didn’t want Loren to worry, so I said those things. You know that I…”

“Wei…” Li Fu’er sighed softly, pulling him into an embrace. “I was truly terrified that what you said was the truth.”

His voice was low, laced with evident sorrow. Feeling a pang of heartache, Xie Jianwei said, “It was all a lie. How could I be that kind of person? Since I chose to be with you, it could only be because… because…” He felt a wave of shyness, stumbling over the words before finally getting them out, “I love you.”

Li Fu’er suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace. His fervent kisses fell urgently, trailing from Xie Jianwei’s neck all the way down his back.

“A-Wei, A-Wei,” he called his name repeatedly with burning passion. “I love you too. We must be together, so please wait for me. Very soon… very soon no one will be able to stop us.”

Li Fu’er was unusually frantic tonight, his actions bordering on excessive. Thinking of all Li Fu’er had sacrificed for him, Xie Jianwei indulged him with near-boundless tolerance.

After they finished, they slept for a bit, then tangled together again upon waking, continuing until the crack of dawn.

Li Fu’er was still buried deep within Xie Jianwei’s body when the sound of the front door opening drifted in from outside.

Xie Jianwei panicked, “Loren is back!”

Gripped too tightly by him, Li Fu’er took a deep breath. “Don’t panic…”

Xie Jianwei didn’t want Loren to see Li Fu’er, as that would force him to spin another web of lies to explain things.

Moving slowly, Li Fu’er murmured, “I’ll change my appearance before I leave.”

Returning early in the morning, Loren immediately heard the creaking sounds coming from the room.

His and Xie Jianwei’s quarters weren’t very large, with their bedrooms right next to each other. It was impossible not to hear such intense noises.

Loren’s heart instantly sank. Who was inside? Li Fu’er?

The relief Loren had felt previously vanished, replaced by a tightening dread. Was Xie Jianwei truly just playing around with Li Fu’er? Was he genuinely that open-minded?

Believing he knew Xie Jianwei well, a terrible thought formed in his mind after a moment’s reflection: Could it be that Xie Jianwei genuinely loved Li Fu’er? Loved him so much that he could tolerate the playboy messing around outside? Still pretending he didn’t care, only hoping he would return and show him a little intimacy?

Loren was used to being a playboy himself, but right now he just wanted to hack this playboy to pieces!

He sat outside, his face turning pale and green by turns, utterly displeased.

Yet when the person emerged from the room, he was left dumbfounded.

Xie Jianwei was fully dressed, but the seductive flush around his eyes and brows had yet to fade, and his unconscious languor made it blatantly obvious what he had just been doing.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was the man standing beside him.

It wasn’t Li Fu’er! It was a completely unfamiliar four-winged angel!

Loren blinked hard, terrified his eyes were playing tricks on him.

The four-winged angel, shirtless and entirely unbothered, asked openly, “Are you Mr. Xie’s roommate? I am Vilier.”

Loren turned his head mechanically, staring blankly at Xie Jianwei.

Clearing his throat, Xie Jianwei said rather awkwardly, “I didn’t expect you back so early.” Then he turned to “Vilier” and said, “You should head back first.”

“Vilier” winked at Xie Jianwei. “Will I have the honor of seeing the Lord Reaper again?”

Finding it amusing that this was actually Li Fu’er, Xie Jianwei replied, “I’ll be in touch.”

As “Vilier” gathered his clothes and left, Loren’s gaping jaw slowly returned to its normal position.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Xie Jianwei said, “I have nothing planned for today, so I’m going back to sleep for a bit.”

Loren finally snapped to his senses, exclaiming, “Well look at you, Little Wei! I was afraid you were crying your eyes out, and here you are… hey, hey, hey…” He leaned in with a cheeky grin, “Did it feel good doing it with a man?”

Afraid of spilling the beans if they talked too much, Xie Jianwei simply swatted his head away. “Curiosity killed the cat.”

Leaving those words behind, he slammed the door shut.

Loren was finally truly relieved.

Xie Jianwei’s past abstinence was probably because he hadn’t figured out his sexuality. Now that he realized he liked men, he was no longer holding back.

Loren wasn’t angry at Li Fu’er anymore. He even felt he ought to thank the Archangel; without him, god knew when Xie Jianwei would have finally caught on.

From then on, Li Fu’er frequently transformed into Vilier to meet with Xie Jianwei.

Naturally, Xie Jianwei was incredibly affectionate with him.

Loren asked, “Are you and this Vilier planning to become steady?”

A few days later, Vilier transformed into Sissier…

Loren could only marvel that his buddy had become a master “hunter,” completely tossing the matter of Li Fu’er to the back of his mind.

With Xie Jianwei acting like this, why the hell should he care about Li Fu’er?

Besides, he couldn’t even manage his own chastity, so how could he manage someone else’s?

Li Fu’er’s self-smear campaign proceeded step by step.

Starting with a chaotic private life was the easiest way to provoke a massive backlash from the pure and holy angels. It didn’t take long for them to transition from veiled criticism to open attacks.

However, holding immense power, Li Fu’er showed no fear of these remarks. He even adopted an arrogant stance of ‘I’ve achieved monumental glory for the Heavenly Realm, what does it matter if I have a little hobby?’

This was tantamount to pouring oil on the fire, enraging countless angels.

What worried the high-ranking angels even more was that they could barely tolerate Li Fu’er’s personal chaos, but the precedent he was setting was far too vile.

Although there had been plenty of debauchery behind closed doors in the past, because the Heavenly Clan prized holiness, they had at least kept up appearances. But now? With Li Fu’er, the Archangel, leading the charge, countless others were letting themselves go entirely.

If this “corruption” continued, would the Heavenly Realm even be the Heavenly Realm anymore?

Finally, some began feeling the itch to replace the Archangel.

Li Fu’er had been incredibly busy these past few days. On one hand, he had to pretend to safeguard his authority; on the other, he was secretly helping them strip away his power.

Being this busy, he naturally had no time to transform into “XXX” and seek out Xie Jianwei.

And with him absent, Xie Jianwei certainly wasn’t going to actually find an “XXX.”

Seeing Xie Jianwei being so quiet over the past few days, Loren suggested, “I’ll take you somewhere fun tonight.”

Xie Jianwei wanted to refuse, but Loren teased, “Come on, let’s go. I heard His Highness Li Fu’er frequents it too. You might even run into him, and then you can properly thank him.”

Xie Jianwei: “…” He understood Loren’s logic. This bastard had actually sincerely thanked a female demon who took his virginity… Worse still, the female demon had found him utterly adorable and dragged him into another round…

He never expected Loren considered him a kindred spirit…

However, Xie Jianwei genuinely wanted to go. He hadn’t seen Li Fu’er in days, and catching a glimpse of him from afar would be nice.

Xie Jianwei accompanied Loren to this banquet held in the dead of night.

The moment Loren entered, he was like a fish in water, charming a circle of beauties until they were giggling endlessly.

Xie Jianwei, naturally unaccustomed to this, quietly slipped into a corner, waiting for Li Fu’er to appear.

Before long, Li Fu’er arrived. Dressed in the garments of an Archangel, he exuded an aura of dashing brilliance.

His arm was linked with a stunning six-winged female angel. She was exceptionally beautiful, her golden curls cascading down her back, her slender waist impossibly fragile, yet her chest and hips were incredibly full. In Loren’s words, she was absolutely the cream of the crop among stunners.

Although Xie Jianwei knew what was going on, he still felt a pang of discomfort.

Just then, someone beside him whispered, “Her Highness Carrie is truly magnificent.”

“Only she looks this compatible standing beside His Highness Li Fu’er.”

“Speaking of which… His Highness Li Fu’er has been bringing her along for days now. Is the playboy finally settling down?”

“Hahaha, if it’s Her Highness Carrie, I completely accept it. The sight of them standing together is just too beautiful.”

“Actually, rumors of His Highness Li Fu’er admiring Her Highness Carrie have circulated for a long time. But Her Highness Carrie refused to be tied down and wouldn’t accept him. His Highness Li Fu’er indulged in debauchery because she rejected him. But Her Highness Carrie’s heart must have ached for him after all. Now that she’s returned to his side, His Highness Li Fu’er is likely to turn into a devoted lover.”

Xie Jianwei couldn’t listen anymore, yet more words drifted into his ears: “His Highness Li Fu’er received the blessing of his six wings from Her Highness Carrie. It’s only natural that he would admire her.”

Is that so? Xie Jianwei’s heart clenched, and he couldn’t clearly hear the flurry of words that followed.

When Reapers advanced in rank, they only needed to submerge themselves in the Black Domain. Angels were different; they required a guide, and most angels harbored special feelings for their guides.

In the Heavenly Realm, there were countless couples who ended up together because of the wing-blessing ceremony.

Xie Jianwei tried hard to tell himself to trust Li Fu’er, but his chaotic heart completely refused to be soothed by his own inner voice.

Suddenly, Li Fu’er seemed to sense his presence and turned his head, their eyes meeting.

Xie Jianwei felt a surge of panic. Just as he was about to avert his gaze, Li Fu’er looked away first. At the same time, Li Fu’er furrowed his brow slightly, the corners of his mouth unconsciously dipping down.

Seeing his expression, Xie Jianwei clenched his fingers into fists, desperately fighting down the piercing heartache.

He was unhappy. Was he unhappy because he saw him?

Why? Did he not want to see him, or did he not want him to see something?

Lost in a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts, Xie Jianwei completely failed to notice the crowd gathering around him.

Li Fu’er tried his best to steady his emotions, but his peripheral vision kept darting toward Xie Jianwei.

He must have been dragged here by Loren; he definitely wouldn’t have wanted to come on his own.

Li Fu’er knew this clearly, but seeing those angels swarming around him, he couldn’t calm down.

He couldn’t hear a word Carrie was saying. All he wanted was to march over and swat away the flies buzzing around Xie Jianwei…

But he couldn’t. He had no justification.

Moreover, he needed to use Carrie; he couldn’t let his efforts go to waste now. Li Fu’er closed his eyes to calm himself. He had to trust Xie Jianwei. Xie Jianwei loved him. Xie Jianwei was his.

But even as he thought this, an unspeakable anxiety gnawed at his sanity like a venomous snake.

He knew he was being irrational, that he should stay calm and composed. But the mere thought of Xie Jianwei talking to others, being intimate with others, smiling at others, he…

What made his sanity finally snap was a female angel standing on tiptoe to kiss Xie Jianwei on the cheek.

Li Fu’er had no idea how he walked over. By the time he snapped back to reality, he had already dragged Xie Jianwei back to his bedchamber and pinned him down.

Sweat beaded on Xie Jianwei’s forehead from the pain. “R-Li Fu’er.”

Li Fu’er abruptly came to his senses. He gently gathered him into his arms and said, “I’m sorry, I hurt you.”

They hadn’t done it in a long time. Entering so abruptly without any preparation was bound to hurt.

Xie Jianwei panted, remaining silent.

Li Fu’er’s heart pounded with panic. He kissed Xie Jianwei and said, “Just now, I…”

But Xie Jianwei interrupted him, “Many people saw.”

He paused, then repeated, “They all saw you bring me here, including Her Highness Carrie.”

Li Fu’er froze for a moment. “So what?”

Xie Jianwei’s lips trembled slightly. “Her Highness Carrie will misunderstand.”

It took Li Fu’er a long moment to process this. Cupping Xie Jianwei’s face, he asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Xie Jianwei stubbornly turned his head away.

The gloom enveloping Li Fu’er’s chest was swept away by a rising sun. The sudden descent of light and warmth caused a sea of flowers to bloom in his heart.

“A-Wei, are you jealous?”

Xie Jianwei murmured, “I heard Her Highness Carrie was your guide, and lately you…”

“That’s because Gelit admires Carrie. I’m using Carrie to provoke him. As long as he detests me, I’ll have offended four out of the seven Archangels…” When the time came, a simple vote would pull him from power.

Xie Jianwei was stunned.

Li Fu’er buried his face in Xie Jianwei’s neck, a muffled laugh escaping him. “I am so happy.”

Embarrassed, a faint blush spread across Xie Jianwei’s face.

Li Fu’er looked up at him, saying earnestly, “You are actually jealous over me.”

Xie Jianwei shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not.”

Li Fu’er’s heart melted completely into sweetness. Holding him tightly, he kissed him fiercely before saying, “I was jealous too. When I saw that angel kiss you, my head buzzed. I don’t remember anything else; I just wanted to take you away, tie you to my side, and let no one else see you.”

Xie Jianwei said, “You were acting far too recklessly.”

Earlier, Li Fu’er had literally snatched Xie Jianwei right out of the crowd and carried him straight out of the venue.

By now, the entire banquet was probably in a state of utter shock.

Xie Jianwei worried, “After this, who knows what kind of wild rumors will spread tomorrow.”

Li Fu’er said, “I couldn’t wait any longer.”

Xie Jianwei didn’t quite understand.

Holding him, Li Fu’er said, “I couldn’t wait that long. I want to be with you sooner, much sooner.”

His original plan had been to slowly tarnish his reputation, starting with his private life, then his influence, and finally making minor political missteps. Once he had alienated the majority of the Archangels, he could retreat unscathed.

This was the safest method. Once he stepped down from the Heavenly Realm’s stage of glory, no one would care where he went.

But now, he couldn’t wait. Following the plan step by step would take at least another few years.

But he was uneasy. He constantly feared Xie Jianwei wouldn’t wait for him, feared Xie Jianwei would be stolen away by someone else, and he couldn’t bear sneaking around to meet him anymore.

Xie Jianwei asked with mild apprehension, “What are you planning to do?”

Li Fu’er said, “I can’t tell you, but don’t worry, it will be very soon. Half a year at most.”

It wasn’t a good method, but it was absolutely the fastest.

Rather than waiting for the Archangels to abandon him, it was better to actively abandon himself.

Initiate a war and die in battle in the Demon Realm. Then, no one would be able to bind him ever again.

The reason he hadn’t chosen this path initially wasn’t a fear of destabilizing the Heavenly Realm; in fact, the Heavenly Realm’s leadership was eager for him to conquer the Demon Realm as quickly as possible. His reservations were that he wouldn’t be able to see Xie Jianwei during the half-year in the Demon Realm, and faking his death came with a heavy price.

He had to inflict at least ninety percent lethal damage upon himself before the angels would believe he was truly dead.

But Li Fu’er couldn’t wait any longer. He would rather be separated from Xie Jianwei for half a year than continue like this.

Faster, much faster. He wanted Xie Jianwei to know that he truly wished to spend his life with him.

For this wish, he was willing to sacrifice everything.

Of course, he couldn’t tell Xie Jianwei these things. Faking his death carried risks, and he couldn’t drag Xie Jianwei into any danger.

A few days later, war between the Heavenly Realm and the Demon Realm erupted anew.

Xie Jianwei, Loren, and the other Reapers were sent back to the Intermediate Realm. Before departing, Li Fu’er secretly met with Xie Jianwei.

Li Fu’er said to him, “Wait for me. I will find you in half a year.”

Xie Jianwei was deeply worried. “Over in the Demon Realm…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll beat them to a pulp.”

Xie Jianwei still felt uneasy. Li Fu’er pulled him into an embrace and said, “Believe me, your lover is the Heavenly Realm’s invincible God of War.”

Xie Jianwei was amused by this, though a trace of anxiety still lingered in his eyes. He kissed him and said earnestly, “I’ll wait for you. You must return safely.”

“When the time comes…” Li Fu’er teased, “I’m going to demand that you support me as your kept man.”

Xie Jianwei smiled, his eyes full of deep affection.

Li Fu’er led his army out to war, leaving Xie Jianwei waiting in the Middle Realm, constantly fraught with worry.

Luo Lun noticed his poor spirits lately and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Unable to tell him the truth, Xie Jianwei simply said, “It’s nothing. I’m probably just having a hard time adjusting.”

Luo Lun stretched lazily. “It really is hard to adjust. We can’t go to the Heavenly Realm, we can’t go to the Demon Realm, and the Middle Realm is so boring… Hey, let’s go do some missions in the human world!”

Xie Jianwei couldn’t muster the enthusiasm. “Let’s wait a bit longer.”

“Come on, let’s go! Just one more mission and we can rank up. Once we reach five stars, we’ll basically be considered veterans among the Death Gods.”

Xie Jianwei thought it over and decided it wasn’t a bad idea. If he got a bit stronger, he’d actually have the means to support Li Fu’er in the future!

Fully motivated, Xie Jianwei set off to do his mission. However, during the task to advance to a five-star Death God, he ended up picking up a young teenage boy.

The very first time he saw him, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to him.

The boy had likely been kidnapped. He wore lavish clothing, but was in a wretched state—covered in mud with his arms dripping with blood.

Xie Jianwei stepped in, saved him, and bandaged his wounds.

In truth, doing just that would have been enough, but when the youth opened his eyes, Xie Jianwei realized he couldn’t just leave him be.

He asked, “Where is your home?”

The boy shook his head.

Xie Jianwei asked again, “What’s your name?”

The youth hesitated for a moment.

Xie Jianwei gently offered his own name first.

But the boy still shook his head and said, “I don’t have a name.”

Xie Jianwei couldn’t explain what had come over him, but when he saw the youth lower his eyes, he almost thought he was looking at Li Fu’er.

A name slipped from his lips right at that moment: “Lu Li.”

The boy’s eyes widened as he looked at him.

Xie Jianwei said, “Uh, since you don’t have a name, is it alright if I call you Lu Li for now?”

The boy replied, “Okay.”

As soon as he said it, Xie Jianwei started to regret it. He felt he was acting inexplicably.

In the Heavenly language, “Li Fu’er” meant glory and radiance. In the ancient texts of the Middle Realm, “Lu Li” shared that exact same meaning.

Xie Jianwei had once discussed this with Li Fu’er: if they were to elope and fly far away together, Li Fu’er would definitely have to change his name.

At the time, Li Fu’er had asked for his opinion.

Xie Jianwei had suggested, “How about Lu Li?”

Li Fu’er thought anything he said was right. Though he didn’t know what the name meant, he thought it sounded wonderful.

But Xie Jianwei quickly backtracked, “Never mind. That name sounds too much like a demon. It’s bad luck.”

Li Fu’er hadn’t minded much. “Then you can come up with another one for me. When the time comes, I’ll ask you for my name.”

Xie Jianwei had naturally agreed without hesitation.

He just hadn’t expected that today, he would end up giving this name to a human teenager.

Whatever, it didn’t matter. The name didn’t really suit Li Fu’er anyway.

Even though Lu Li meant ‘light’ in the Middle Realm’s ancient texts, the name itself just sounded too demonic.

Pulling back his thoughts, Xie Jianwei looked at the youth, Lu Li. “If you won’t tell me where your home is, how am I supposed to send you back?”

Lu Li asked, “Can I follow you?”

Xie Jianwei paused, stunned. “Follow me?”

Lu Li said, “I don’t want to go home right now. Could you… could you take me in for a while?” He quickly added with urgency, “I can do a lot of things. I can help you out. I’ll do anything, really.”

Stared at like that, Xie Jianwei couldn’t help but think of Li Fu’er. And the moment he thought of Li Fu’er, he felt he simply couldn’t abandon this pitiful teenager.

If he left him behind, the boy might meet with some disaster.

Xie Jianwei’s heart softened. “Alright, but you have to give me a time limit.”

The youth froze for a moment, then finally lowered his eyes and said, “Four months.”

Xie Jianwei asked, “You’ll go back home after four months, right?”

“Right.”

Xie Jianwei smiled. “Deal. Then you can follow me for these four months.”

Four months was nothing but the blink of an eye for a Death God. Xie Jianwei was perfectly happy to help out this teenager who was so pleasing to his eyes.

When Luo Lun saw the boy, he whispered to him, “Aren’t you a bit too desperate? Not even sparing a half-grown teenager.”

Xie Jianwei slapped him away. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Luo Lun secretly sized up the youth in the distance, faked a cough, and said, “Actually, he’s not that small anymore. Humans develop fast; they become adults in seventeen or eighteen years.”

Xie Jianwei shot him a glance. “Where exactly are you getting this experience from?”

Luo Lun’s old face flushed red. “That girl is already twenty. Over in the human world, she’d be old enough to marry and have kids by now.”

Xie Jianwei was speechless. “Have some shame, will you!”

Luo Lun awkwardly walked away and ran over to talk to Lu Li.

“Hey, kid, how old are you?”

Lu Li replied, “Seventeen.”

Luo Lun shot a pointed look at Xie Jianwei. The implication was obvious: In just one more year, he’ll be an adult, and you can finally make a move.

Afraid that Luo Lun would be a bad influence on Lu Li, Xie Jianwei shooed him away like a pesky fly.

Xie Jianwei spent three months with Lu Li. To avoid exposing his identity, he didn’t take on any missions; he simply maintained his human disguise and travelled through the human world.

This stretch of time made him feel like the days were passing by a little faster.

Lu Li was sensible, obedient, and exceptionally well-behaved. Xie Jianwei grew quite fond of him and was more than willing to teach him a few things.

Although species limitations meant Lu Li couldn’t learn much of it, this back-and-forth was still quite entertaining.

One night, Lu Li asked him, “Mr. Xie, how old are you?”

This question really stumped Xie Jianwei. He couldn’t even remember his own age anymore, so he casually replied, “Really old, anyway.”

Lu Li looked at him and noted, “You look like you’re about the same age as my older brother.”

Xie Jianwei asked, “How old is your brother?”

Lu Li said, “Twenty-three, I think.”

Xie Jianwei thought to himself: Multiply that by a hundred, and we might barely be the same age.

Xie Jianwei rarely heard Lu Li bring up his family. Now that he had, Xie Jianwei grew a little curious. “Why don’t you want to go home?”

Lu Li paused before saying, “Because of my brother.”

Surprised, Xie Jianwei asked, “How so?”

Lu Li frowned. “My brother is a deserter.”

Xie Jianwei didn’t quite understand, but he knew this teenage boy was finally willing to open his heart and talk about his past.

Lu Li continued, “For a woman, he abandoned our family, threw away his inheritance rights, and eloped with her.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Eyes filled with disgust, Lu Li spat out, “He didn’t want any of it and just dumped it all onto me. Why should I have to take it on? It was supposed to be his responsibility, his duty. What gives him the right to selfishly walk away like that!”

As the boy spoke in disjointed fragments, Xie Jianwei understood.

Though Lu Li complained about his brother dumping all the burdens on him, what actually hurt him the most was the fact that his brother had left him behind.

For some woman he didn’t even know, he had abandoned him.

Xie Jianwei wanted to comfort him, but found that he had no words.

He thought of Li Fu’er.

In a way, Li Fu’er eloping with him had hurt many people as well.

The comrades who fought side-by-side with him, the friends who had grown up alongside him, and the entire Heavenly Realm that placed absolute trust in him.

Li Fu’er represented glory and light, but was it wrong for this beam of light to only envelop him alone?

Xie Jianwei began to harbor doubts about this.

He and Li Fu’er had been separated for exactly four months. He thought about him every single day, yet now, he was beginning to feel uneasy again.

Was what they were doing really right?

Was he unconsciously destroying Li Fu’er?

On the one hundred and thirtieth day of their separation, Li Fu’er—who should have been in the Demon Realm—suddenly appeared beside Xie Jianwei.

Face full of surprise, Xie Jianwei asked, “Li Fu’er, is the war over?” He hadn’t heard any news about it.

Without a word, Li Fu’er captured his lips. Only after kissing him to his absolute heart’s content did he finally say, “Not yet, but soon… A-Wei, I missed you. I missed you too much.”

Xie Jianwei missed him, too. Seeing him only made him realize how much more he had missed him.

The war hadn’t ended; it had merely entered a brief truce. But Li Fu’er, having been separated from Xie Jianwei for so long, finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He did everything in his power to track Xie Jianwei down.

Reuniting after a long time apart, it was like a spark to dry kindling; the two inevitably shared a passionate bout of intimacy.

And right at that moment, Lu Li returned.

He watched Xie Jianwei passionately kissing a man, so shocked that everything in his hands fell crashing to the floor.

Li Fu’er saw him too, his brows knitting together slightly.

Xie Jianwei introduced him, “This kid has some things weighing on his mind and refuses to go home. He’s been following me around lately.”

Li Fu’er sized Lu Li up, alarm bells going off in his head.

Lu Li also stared back without blinking, his dark eyes clouded and deeply gloomy.

Xie Jianwei didn’t want to waste time on this. He looked at Li Fu’er and asked, “Do you have to return to the Demon Realm first thing in the morning?”

Li Fu’er tore his gaze away from evaluating Lu Li and kissed Xie Jianwei somewhat provocatively. “It’s a pity I can’t stay with you longer.”

Xie Jianwei pushed him back slightly, turning first to speak to Lu Li. “A-Li, can you find somewhere else to sleep tonight?”

Lu Li’s fingers curled into tight fists, but his voice was completely steady. “Okay.”

Xie Jianwei and Li Fu’er were tangled together all night, only finally falling asleep the next morning.

The moment Li Fu’er stepped outside, he saw Lu Li standing guard right outside the courtyard gates.

Li Fu’er’s expression turned frigid. “He only sees you as a child.”

Lu Li gritted his teeth. “I know.”

Li Fu’er let out a cold sneer. He was just about to leave when he suddenly paused. He looked back at Lu Li and asked, “What is your name?”

Lu Li’s thin lips parted slightly, spitting out two incredibly clear syllables.

“Lu Li.”