Chapter 52
“It’s such heavy snow, and I still have to clock in on time at the office. I feel like my life has lost its meaning.”
When Xu Xingyang arrived at the company, he looked sluggish and frozen stiff.
Lu Kou handed him a hot latte and said, “We’ll hold the meeting once everyone arrives. If the snow lets up a bit later, we can just take our things and work from home.”
Xu Xingyang took a sip of the latte and, after hearing Lu Kou’s words, collapsed onto the table, lamenting, “What? We have to brave the snow to go home? I’d rather just sleep here.”
“You’re the only one who talks so much every day,” Qiao Linchuan said as he walked by, kicking him lightly. “Be grateful. The people from the tech center can’t go home until the snow stops. They have to stay at the office, and they aren’t crying as loud as you.”
Qin Zai rode a robot into the meeting room, feigning despair as he said, “I’ll state this first: I’m only taking one product home. I can’t drive today; I have to squeeze into the subway like you guys. Do you know how heavy of a blow this is for me?”
Lu Kou hugged her phone and shouted, “Everyone be quiet! Let me hear what the news is saying.”
Qiao Linchuan glanced at the time. “Xiao Bao is really late today and didn’t ask for leave. What’s going on?”
Qin Zai replied, “You could call and ask.”
Qiao Linchuan said, “I called, but they didn’t answer.”
Qin Zai replied, “Then you call Manager Xing.”
Qiao Linchuan made a face like ‘Don’t put me in this position.’ “Why don’t you call?”
Qin Zai replied, “Because I don’t care whether they come to the office or not. I’d rather everyone stay home.”
Lu Kou interjected, “You guys be quiet! The news is saying there are issues with this snowstorm, and we should all try to stay indoors!” She added, “Wow, someone said something really bizarre in the comments.”
Xu Xingyang, who was almost hibernating, opened one eye. “What did they say?”
Lu Kou responded, “Someone said they saw something moving in the sky when they went outside.”
Xu Xingyang asked, “Our company’s aircraft?”
Lu Kou replied, “They said it was flashing like the sun.”
Xu Xingyang commented, “Then it’s probably the sun.”
Lu Kou said, “Someone said that when things are unusual, there must be something supernatural, and the end of the world is coming. Hahaha, let’s go stock up on supplies now!”
On the other side, Qiao Linchuan mumbled while holding his phone, “Strange, Xing Shu’s phone is off.”
Qin Zai said, “Then don’t call. They should be sleeping.”
Qiao Linchuan chuckled, “What kind of sleeping?”
Qin Zai replied, “You sound like an inexperienced virgin who’s never seen the world but is curious about everything.”
Xu Xingyang added, “Not like; he is one.”
Lu Kou shouted, “Stop it!! The phone suddenly lost signal! The company network is down too!”
Xu Xingyang yawned and continued to rest his head on the conference table. “Alright, it must be the end of the world; I can finally get a good sleep.”
Ye Xiyao walked in just as they were in a chaotic state.
He was wearing giant cat-paw gloves, a scarf hat styled like rabbit ears, and was covered in snow, with a flushed face as he ran into the warm conference room.
As soon as he arrived, everyone stopped their complaints and casual chatter, shifting their focus to Ye Xiyao.
“Finally here! I thought you were going to rare forgo work today.”
Lu Kou handed a cup of hot milk to Ye Xiyao, while Qiao Linchuan used a tissue to wipe the snowflakes from his eyebrows. Qin Zai asked, “Manager Xing actually let you come out alone?”
Ye Xiyao smiled and said, “He’s waiting outside.”
Everyone responded with a long “Oh,” teasing him with playful banter before asking Ye Xiyao, “Looks like you’ll be working from home for a while. Check the recent products and see which one you want to take; let Xing Shu help you bring it back.”
At that moment, Ye Xiyao took off his rabbit ears and cat-paw gloves, his smile fading slightly as he formally bowed to the people in the meeting room.
This action startled everyone.
Even the drowsy Xu Xingyang was awakened, staring wide-eyed at Ye Xiyao.
Ye Xiyao said, “I’m here to say goodbye. I want to…”
He initially intended to say he was resigning, but stopped midway and instead said, “I’m leaving.”
Everyone asked where he was going, why he was suddenly resigning, whether Xing Shu pressured him, and what his plans were for the future.
Ye Xiyao had only one answer to all these questions: “I can’t stay here anymore.”
Qiao Linchuan looked at him with a somewhat strange expression. “What do you mean can’t? Are you unhappy here?”
“I’m happy, but I still have to leave,” Ye Xiyao replied. “I came specifically to say goodbye to you all. Besides Xing Shu, you are my most important friends. Knowing you has been the luckiest thing in my life. I like you all, so I wanted to see you before I go.”
His wording and tone didn’t sound like someone resigning, but no one pressured Ye Xiyao for an explanation. They sensed he didn’t want to elaborate.
They asked him where he planned to go next, and Ye Xiyao candidly said, “I’m afraid of the cold, so I’ll probably go to a warm place.”
“Head south then; the climate there is nurturing,” Qiao Linchuan casually suggested. “When are you leaving?”
Ye Xiyao replied, “The sooner, the better. I’ll leave shortly.”
Everyone was surprised, but seeing that Ye Xiyao didn’t want to continue the topic, they stopped asking.
Lu Kou stepped forward to hug Ye Xiyao and said, “Xiao Bao, you’re a good kid. No matter where you go and who you meet, they will like you and treat you well. It’s us who are lucky to have met you.”
“Right, right, we’re the lucky ones,” Qiao Linchuan immediately chimed in, pushing Lu Kou aside to hug Ye Xiyao tightly. “I feel like I’ll never meet another new employee with such vitality in their eyes. You really don’t plan to stay? How about I apply for a raise for you—”
“Get lost; you’re crazy,” Qin Zai pushed Qiao Linchuan away.
He didn’t hug Ye Xiyao, perhaps suddenly imagining Xing Shu’s dark expression, so he sensibly just patted Ye Xiyao on the shoulder and said, “You’ve worked hard during this time; just consider it a vacation for yourself. If you want to come back in the future, you can anytime. Don’t make it feel like a farewell.”
Xu Xingyang nodded vigorously from the side, “Exactly, just come back if you want.”
Ye Xiyao felt a lump in his throat and suddenly felt a bit reluctant.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but just then, Xu Xingyang suddenly shouted, “Ah! Your, your hair!”
Ye Xiyao instantly felt a bad premonition, but it was too late.
He quickly saw that the faces of Qiao Linchuan, Lu Kou, and Qin Zai all revealed the same terrified expression as Xu Xingyang.
Ye Xiyao had never imagined that his secret would be exposed in such a situation. He just wanted to put a perfect ending on this beautiful memory, but his suddenly grown hair ruined everything.
In just a few seconds, silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Ye Xiyao stood frozen in the shocked expressions of everyone.
Worse still, it wasn’t just hair that had grown; there were also a pair of horns symbolizing a demon.
These horns sprouted from his forehead, bright red like blood. At first, only the tips pierced through, but they quickly grew larger, curling into a strange arc, resembling goat horns but more intricate and beautiful.
At this point, even the most naive humans should understand what was happening.
Xu Xingyang was the first to run out, panicking as he dashed from the conference room, shouting, “Illusion! It must be an illusion!”
Qin Zai and Lu Kou also looked stunned, stiffly stepping back half a step.
Only Qiao Linchuan stood still, but his pale face clearly showed the shock he felt inside.
“What is… this?” Qiao Linchuan asked, his words slurring.
Ye Xiyao didn’t answer and didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to hold his head, but found his hair had grown beyond his waist, making it impossible to hide.
The demon horns on his head brazenly declared his secret.
Xing Shu quickly pushed open the conference room door. He witnessed the sight of Ye Xiyao, eyes reddened and frozen in place, and his heart ached sharply.
He wished he had entered with Ye Xiyao.
“Xing Shu…” Ye Xiyao saw him and immediately rushed towards him. “I don’t know how this happened.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Xing Shu clumsily tried to wrap Ye Xiyao in his scarf, but the horns kept getting tangled. He gritted his teeth and cursed, “Damn…!”
He wanted to take Ye Xiyao out of the conference room, but given the current situation, they definitely couldn’t leave directly. Xing Shu suddenly realized he was panicking too.
At that moment, Lu Kou suddenly started running around the conference room.
Xing Shu thought she was as scared as Xu Xingyang and ignored her. Just as he was about to take off his coat to wrap around Ye Xiyao, Lu Kou threw him a blanket and said, “Use this!”
Xing Shu caught the blanket and looked at her, seriously saying, “Thank you.”
The blanket wrapped around Ye Xiyao’s horns and most of his body, and Xing Shu picked him up, preparing to leave the company.
Qiao Linchuan finally seemed to snap back to reality, springing up to help Xing Shu open the door, and he rushed ahead to call the elevator.
Watching Xing Shu carry Ye Xiyao into the elevator, when the doors were slowly about to close, Qiao Linchuan shouted, “Xiao Bao!”
Ye Xiyao peeked out from the blanket’s gap with a timid eye; he was afraid to see Qiao Linchuan looking at him with that fearful gaze. But at the moment they made eye contact, he noticed Qiao Linchuan giving him a thumbs up.
Ye Xiyao: “?”
Qiao Linchuan: “This hairstyle suits you so well!”
The elevator doors closed, and Xing Shu took Ye Xiyao away from the company.
Now, he no longer needed to ask Ye Xiyao why he was resigning.
After Qiao Linchuan went back, he saw Lu Kou and Qin still staring blankly in the conference room.
At that moment, Xu Xingyang had run back after circling the room.
He burst into the conference room, grabbing Qiao Linchuan, saying, “Qiao, I’m done for! I think I’m hallucinating from the cold; I just saw Ye Xiyao grow horns!”
Qiao Linchuan calmly replied, “He really has grown horns.”
After two seconds of silence, Xu Xingyang screamed again, “Ah! This world is crazy!”
The police arrived at the Product Experience Department an hour later.
At that time, Qiao Linchuan was trying to figure out how to restore the office network, Lu Kou was drinking her third cup of black coffee, which was darker than her complexion, Qin was chatting with a robot that had lost its internet connection about the end of the universe, and Xu Xingyang was either sleeping or possibly had fainted from fright.
When they saw the police burst in, the few of them instinctively glanced at each other. Except for Xu Xingyang, who was still asleep, the other three put down what they were doing.
They vaguely guessed the police’s purpose for coming.
As expected, the police inquired about Xing Shu and Ye Xiyao, but unexpectedly, they seemed to be more than just the local police of Lu City. Their group consisted of at least ten people, of which only one was an officer; the rest were wearing uniforms they didn’t recognize. The credentials they pulled out had the words “Alliance XXX” written on them.
Before they could clearly see the rest of the words, the other party took them back.
The police sternly asked about the whereabouts of the two, emphasizing their “dangerousness.” In the police’s words, Xing Shu was a terrorist, and Ye Xiyao was the mastermind behind it all.
If they were just asking about the two, Qiao Linchuan might have answered honestly. But when he heard them say “Ye Xiyao is extremely vicious,” Qiao Linchuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“You still don’t understand the seriousness of the situation,” the other party said, displaying a look of contempt on his face. “That guy named Ye Xiyao has seduced all of you.”
Qiao Linchuan, Lu Kou, and Qin exchanged glances and decided not to tell them that Ye Xiyao was preparing to go south, as they thought the speaker didn’t look like a police officer at all.
The three of them didn’t need to lie, as they genuinely didn’t know where Ye Xiyao was going. So no matter how the people across from them asked, they could simply respond with, “I don’t know either.”
At that moment, a man in a black coat stepped out of the crowd. He was the only one not wearing a uniform, but his presence overshadowed everyone else.
His first words stunned Qiao Linchuan and the others: “I am an exorcist, and the person you are trying to protect, Ye Xiyao, is a demon.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Another exorcist police officer quietly reminded, “Mr. Fu, the Alliance has regulations against mentioning exorcism in front of ordinary citizens.”
Fu Zhuo coldly replied, “They have already seen the demon; they do not count as ordinary citizens.”
The special police said, “It’s still not certain…”
At that moment, Fu Zhuo walked over to Xu Xingyang, who had been pretending to sleep, and woke him up.
Looking at Xu Xingyang’s shivering appearance, he sneered and said, “Why don’t you tell us? As long as you say you’ve seen a demon and share any details you know, the Alliance will award you a Good Citizen Award, with a generous prize enough to keep you well-off for the rest of your life. If none of you admit to it, you’ll all be locked up here for questioning. This choice shouldn’t be hard.”
Xu Xingyang nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes, this choice isn’t hard at all.”
Fu Zhuo asked, “So where is the demon now?”
Xu Xingyang answered seriously, “The demon is in your heart.”
Fu Zhuo: “…”
—
Ye Xiyao could feel his body undergoing some kind of change.
This change was different from the changes he experienced in the past after using magical power.
Now, not only had he grown silver hair and demon horns—of course, there was also his tail, which was currently hiding in his clothes, shivering—but more importantly, Ye Xiyao discovered he could begin to smell the essence of souls.
Even though he wasn’t hungry and had not released any power, he could still smell Xing Shu’s scent.
He started squirming in Xing Shu’s arms, unable to bear it, poking his head out to sniff around Xing Shu’s neck.
Xing Shu held him as they walked forward; Ye Xiyao did not ask where they were heading. His lips brushed against Xing Shu’s Adam’s apple, occasionally opening a small gap to lick with his tongue.
Xing Shu said, “Bite; you don’t have to hold back.”
Ye Xiyao immediately covered his ears like a frightened rabbit, hiding his little fangs: “No, I don’t want to eat.”
Xing Shu told him directly, “I already know everything; you don’t need to hide it from me. Once divine punishment is awakened, there’s no way to settle down again. Your current state is clearly very close to ‘restlessness.’”
Ye Xiyao wanted to jump up immediately but was afraid that passersby nearby would see him. He could only grasp Xing Shu’s collar and urgently say, “Don’t let the demon-slaying formation backfire; I don’t want you to help me this way.”
Seeing that Ye Xiyao already knew what he intended to do, Xing Shu simply spoke openly: “If this is the only way to save you, I will not hesitate.”
“That’s not it; it’s not what you think.” Ye Xiyao stared hard at Xing Shu; this ferocious expression didn’t suit him at all.
His beautiful face made any expression seem like a pout.
“The most important thing after a demon-slaying backlash isn’t becoming a demon, but losing the blessings of the divine. Originally, as the owner of the demon-slaying formation, you would ascend to heaven after death, but if you become a demon, you can only go to hell. That’s why every owner of a demon-slaying formation chooses to commit suicide during the backlash—because at that moment of backlash, they can feel their soul turning filthy.”
What Eroel concealed was precisely this.
After the backlash, Xing Shu would immediately become a demon; there was no such thing as becoming the formation’s focal point.
If Xing Shu never faced backlash and chose to commit suicide before becoming a demon, like other inheritors of the demon-slaying formation, including his mother, Xue Min, he could ascend to heaven like them.
Every inheritor of a demon-slaying formation has a powerful and holy soul; they have the potential to become angels—this is probably the ultimate ideal of all exorcists.
And as long as he backlashes and becomes a demon, there’s no doubt that Xing Shu’s soul would wander in hell forever.
Eroel was worried that after revealing this, Xing Shu would be unwilling to save Ye Xiyao, so he concealed this matter.
Little did he know that after hearing Ye Xiyao’s words, Xing Shu burst into laughter: “Is that it? That stupid snake was hiding this? Did they think I wanted to go to heaven?”
Xing Shu stopped walking, lowered his head, kissed the person in his arms, and said softly, “My dear, let me go to hell. As long as that damned divine punishment can disappear from you, I fully accept this price. Besides, what can I do in heaven? Look for whoever gave you that punishment and beat him up?”
“Xing Shu, don’t you understand what I’m saying?” Ye Xiyao bit his lip, his eyes red as he looked at him. “Do you know how I received this divine punishment?”
Xing Shu paused slightly.
If Ye Xiyao became a god and Xing Shu went to hell, then this story would become very familiar.
Of course, the only difference was that as long as Ye Xiyao didn’t conceive a demon’s child, he wouldn’t be forced to give up his divinity to protect the unborn fetus—like the Archangel Calokchus.
But as long as they reached that step, whether they lived or died, they would never be able to embrace each other like this moment again.
The reason Eroel concealed this from Xing Shu wasn’t because he thought Xing Shu wanted to go to heaven, but because he was afraid Xing Shu would waver in his resolve to let Ye Xiyao become a god.
After all, even if Ye Xiyao’s divine punishment was awakened and he became one of the countless succubi in hell, as long as Xing Shu was bold enough, he could find a way to keep Ye Xiyao by his side.
After all, holding a beautiful succubus who had lost her humanity and soul, only able to wag his tail and beg, would surely be easier than opposing the gods.
If Xing Shu grew tired of it, he could leave at any time. After he died, he could even ascend to heaven thanks to the blessings of the demon-slaying formation.
In simple terms, as long as Xing Shu didn’t love Ye Xiyao that much, doing nothing about this matter would be the most advantageous choice for him.
No one dared to use human “love” as a bargaining chip to gamble whether Xing Shu would be willing to sacrifice so much for Ye Xiyao. That’s why the Demon King ordered Eroel to conceal this matter.
He deliberately didn’t give Xing Shu a chance to choose, making Xing Shu feel that even after backlash, it wouldn’t be a big deal, and he could conveniently save Ye Xiyao. As long as Xing Shu still had some feelings for Ye Xiyao, he would be willing to do such a thing.
But now, Ye Xiyao had told him the truth.
After the backlash of the demon-slaying formation, Xing Shu would not only become a demon and go to hell, but he would also forever lose Ye Xiyao.
Would he still be willing?
That night, they didn’t return to Ye Xiyao’s house or go to any place where the alliance government might find them.
Xing Shu took Ye Xiyao to a private airstrip in the suburbs.
There was no one else around except for them; the area was open, and several portable aircraft of different models, along with Xing Shu’s private helicopter, were parked on the snow-covered ground.
“We’ll stay here for tonight.” Xing Shu led Ye Xiyao into the house and turned on all the heating.
Ye Xiyao removed the blanket from his body, folded it neatly, and placed it on the sofa. After scanning the surroundings and confirming that this house was rarely occupied, he asked Xing Shu, “Aren’t we leaving?”
“You can’t leave like this.” Xing Shu rummaged through some disposable items from a room upstairs and brought them down for Ye Xiyao. Upon seeing Ye Xiyao’s hair, he expressed his admiration, “It’s beautiful; it should have grown out earlier.”
Feeling a bit awkward, Ye Xiyao pushed his hair to one side, bent down to change his shoes, and said, “If I can’t get better, will I just not leave?”
“We’ll leave when the snow lightens up.” Xing Shu gently touched his face, his gaze inadvertently landing on Ye Xiyao’s demon horn, “This…”
“Do you want to touch it?” Ye Xiyao proactively rubbed against his palm.
Xing Shu was afraid of not controlling his strength and hurting him, so his movements were very stiff, his uniform lightly brushing against the horn.
Ye Xiyao shivered all over: “Mmm…”
Xing Shu raised an eyebrow: “Does it feel uncomfortable?”
Ye Xiyao replied, “No, just a bit itchy.”
“Then that means it’s comfortable.” Xing Shu seemed to discover a treasure and reached out to touch it again.
Ye Xiyao covered his horn and glared at him: “I said it’s a bit itchy.”
“You said the same last time.” Xing Shu effortlessly picked him up horizontally, and they both tumbled onto the large sofa bed.
Ye Xiyao asked him, “When was the last time?”
Xing Shu’s hands slipped into his clothing and began to mischievously tease him, causing Ye Xiyao to tense up all over.
“Does it itch?” Xing Shu intentionally asked him this.
“Don’t ask; you never say anything nice.” Ye Xiyao rolled over in his arms, trying to stand up, but Xing Shu firmly locked him in place.
“I won’t do anything; I’ll just hold you for a while.” Xing Shu’s voice lowered, soft and gentle, sounding somewhat unlike him. “We’re on the run now; we need to cherish every moment. Can I give you a kiss?”
But Ye Xiyao killed the mood by saying, “I’m really tired.”
“You’ve been very sleepy lately.” Xing Shu originally just wanted to tease but suddenly thought: Could this sleepiness be due to divine punishment? His expression froze for a moment before he said, “You can sleep; I’ll hold you.”
Ye Xiyao didn’t bother with pleasantries; when he said he would sleep, he really did.
The heating in the house quickly raised the temperature, and Xing Shu began to sweat but didn’t want to let go of Ye Xiyao.
Ye Xiyao slept for a long time.
Actually, Xing Shu didn’t know that Ye Xiyao had woken up partway through but hadn’t opened his eyes. Every time he woke up, he immediately forced himself to fall back asleep, just to have more dreams and find more possibilities.
He didn’t know what time it was when the snow finally stopped.
Ye Xiyao almost instantly woke up.
As soon as the snow stopped, everything concealed by it began to stir.
Different powers within Ye Xiyao started to show signs of struggling, causing him pain that kept him from sleeping. He sat up in bed and suddenly realized that Xing Shu wasn’t beside him, making him panic.
Fortunately, when he ran downstairs, he saw Xing Shu sleeping on the sofa. It seemed that Xing Shu had been guarding this door and had dozed off at some point.
Ye Xiyao carefully picked up the blanket from the floor and covered him, then his gaze fell on the phone nearby.
Xing Shu appeared to be sleeping very soundly, not even noticing when Ye Xiyao left the room.
When the snowstorm stopped, the moon loomed overhead with a heavy and imposing grandeur, larger than ever, shining brighter than at any other time, its light glaring as if it were not a moon.
Ye Xiyao held Xing Shu’s phone and stepped out of the house.
The moment he unlocked the phone, countless messages flooded the screen. Ye Xiyao easily found Luo Yiji’s contact information among them.
He dialed the number, and the other party answered quickly.
Luo Yiji sounded as if he had been waiting for this call; the moment the connection was made, he immediately said, “Hello? Xing Shu? Listen to me, you need to—”
“Hello.” Ye Xiyao gently interrupted Luo Yiji, saying, “This is Ye Xiyao.”
