Chapter 200
Lord Taotie, I like you…
Like you…
You…
Jian Yunlan’s earnest voice echoed across the entire sky, ringing through the silent platform of annihilation. Even the swirling pillars of light froze for a heartbeat.
At those words, it was as if someone had pressed pause on Taotie’s entire being. Every expression, every motion—stopped at the moment before Jian Yunlan had spoken. He didn’t move a muscle—
Silver hair scattered over his shoulders, his gaze slightly tired but serious and gentle. His dark golden eyes looked toward Jian Yunlan, his mouth slightly open—such was the expression on his face.
At first, Jian Yunlan thought it was just shock that left him speechless.
As the seconds ticked by, Taotie still didn’t move. He didn’t blink, didn’t even appear to breathe. His chest was completely still.
Jian Yunlan couldn’t help but start to worry.
—Could Taotie have… died?!
Jian Yunlan waved his hand in front of Taotie’s eyes, then gently shook his shoulders, anxiously saying, “Lord Taotie, Lord Taotie, wake up! If someone is killed, they die. If you fall asleep in reality, you’ll fall asleep in dreams too. Don’t sleep—aaahhh!”
Even as Jian Yunlan shook him, Taotie didn’t move at all. His entire body was stiff, like a puppet.
It felt like he had been gone a long time.
Just as Jian Yunlan was about to fall into despair, Taotie finally moved.
…The corners of his lips slowly lifted into a goofy smile, completely at odds with his handsome and proud appearance.
“As expected of the final reel before death. Even my wildest fantasies are coming true,” Taotie grinned foolishly. “The small workshop really went all out. Totally worth it. Five stars. Would die again.”
Jian Yunlan: “……”
All the viewers across the realms: “…………”
So Taotie thought… all of this was just a hallucination before death?!!!
Why does that feel so pitiful… and kind of inexplicably cute?!
Jian Yunlan couldn’t help but reach out and pinch Taotie’s cheek.
Maybe it was due to blood loss, but Taotie’s body was cold. Yet his face was hot—almost burning.
As Jian Yunlan touched his cheek, Taotie didn’t resist. Instead, he lifted his hand and covered Jian Yunlan’s, not allowing him to pull away.
Taotie looked down at Jian Yunlan. The light in his eyes was shallow and pure, as if carefully examining a lifelong treasure. His smile carried a childish kind of foolishness.
His warm breath brushed against Jian Yunlan’s eyelashes—it tickled a bit.
“Lord Taotie,” Jian Yunlan said seriously, word by word, “I’m real. This isn’t a dream.”
Taotie had the expression of someone saying “whatever you say” with a dopey grin. “Okay.”
Jian Yunlan: “……”
Jian Yunlan: “See? I’m human. I have body heat. I breathe. I’m alive and I can talk—so I’m not a hallucination.”
Taotie continued auto-replying: “Mm-hmm.”
But his expression said it all, and Jian Yunlan could read his thoughts instantly: As expected of a hallucination. So real, it even argues with me. Totally worth dying for.
Jian Yunlan: “…………”
He didn’t believe him at all!
“You really don’t believe me?” Jian Yunlan pressed his lips together, an idea forming. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. “Then how about this?”
Taotie blinked, confused, not understanding what Jian Yunlan meant.
Until the next second—
Taotie’s pupils dilated slightly, focusing on the person drawing closer.
Jian Yunlan stood on his tiptoes and tilted his head up. Their noses lightly touched and brushed past each other, and then…
He kissed Taotie’s lips, slowly and deliberately.
“……”
Below the clouds, the lights of the human world flickered, cicadas chirped, and lovers whispered. Moonlight cast crisscrossing shadows on the ground.
Above the clouds, on the long-abandoned, desolate Execution Platform, the light fell gently on them. Even the wind circled them fondly.
It was a very gentle kiss—lips brushing, breaths mingling. As Jian Yunlan tried to pull away, Taotie gently cupped the back of his neck with just enough pressure to keep him close, stubbornly refusing to let go. Time stretched infinitely within that kiss.
In this eternal night, it became the one clear, moving moment.
The atmosphere between the two of them was peaceful and quiet.
But… the rest of the world was far from calm.
Heaven’s Dao: “???”
Viewers from all the realms: “??????!!!!!! AAAAHHHHH????? AAAAAAAHHHHH?????!!!!!!!”
[AAAAAA what the hell what the hell what the hell]
[Oh no, I’ve really fallen for this pairing now]
[So gentle, so sweet… they’re the perfect, perfect, perfect little couple, I feel like even my corpse spots are fading]
[Never thought I’d witness such a pure and touching romance in the livestream of Boss Jian’s street food stall!!! AND THEN THEY DIED! DIED!]
[If this isn’t true love, what is?! One stood by silently, willing to die for him. The other crossed mountains and seas just to confess. AAAAHHH!!!]
[Why are you all still frozen?! Screenshot! Record! AAAAAHHHH]
[Already recording (clutching my face)]
[Wait a second—did anyone else notice? Lord Taotie’s wounds… they’re starting to heal?! Am I seeing things?? Weren’t Heavenly Dao’s execution wounds supposed to never heal?]
[You’re not seeing things—I saw it too!]
As time passed, more and more viewers noticed something unusual.
—The beams of light once surrounding Jian Yunlan and Taotie—those that had sliced off his scales and flesh like blades—were slowly softening. They began to flow over Taotie’s bleeding wounds like a tide.
Wherever the light touched, the wounds began to heal rapidly—scabbing over and growing fresh flesh!
[What is this—being loved so much that you literally grow back flesh and blood… Is Lord Taotie the injured puppy from a rescue video? LOL]
[Wait a second, think about this carefully]
[Heaven’s punishment is the law of the world. Wounds caused by it are supposed to be irreversible—impossible to heal or regenerate. But now Lord Taotie is healing. Is this the real reason Heaven keeps targeting them?]
[Could it be that Boss Jian and Lord Taotie being together gives them the power to rewrite the laws of Heaven?]
Jian Yunlan had never been in love before, so he never knew—
That kissing someone you like could feel this happy!
Almost on par with running a street food stall.
The feeling of being so close to someone, like their souls were leaning into each other, hearts pounding yet emotions calming, brought such a solid sense of peace. Like from this moment on, there was nothing left to fear.
But for some reason, as the kiss continued, Jian Yunlan’s thoughts began to drift.
It wasn’t because he didn’t like it—it was just that…
Suddenly, fragments of memories flashed through his mind.
His consciousness seemed to drift out of his body, like entering a dream.
And not in a metaphorical way—literally memory fragments. The scenes flickered through his mind like a PowerPoint slideshow, frame by frame. They felt like events from long, long ago—so ancient that time had buried them beneath dust. Only faint traces remained, like moss beneath eaves, some rainwater, and a few damp, lingering kisses that had somehow made it to the present day, like fleeting shadows.
…Jian Yunlan felt like a student sitting in a lecture hall, watching these unfamiliar scenes of himself on the screen, filled with the same confusion and helplessness as someone who couldn’t understand the class.
Thankfully, he wasn’t alone.
In the stepped lecture hall, sitting beside Jian Yunlan, was another student—one who looked half-asleep, clearly skipping class.
Taotie sat next to him, silver hair scattered across the desk as he dozed, shoulder to shoulder with Jian Yunlan, watching the flickering slideshow in front of them. After a while, Taotie’s ears turned red, and he averted his eyes in an overly casual way—but under the desk, his hand reached out and clasped Jian Yunlan’s.
“This is our past,” Taotie said lazily in a low voice. “Our memories haven’t returned yet, so it all feels like we’re watching someone else’s story. It doesn’t feel real.”
Jian Yunlan blinked. “Lord Taotie… are we dreaming right now?”
“Mhm.”
Jian Yunlan was shocked: “So dreams can go multiplayer now? Is kissing like pairing Bluetooth for dream-sharing?”
Taotie: “……”
At the word kiss, Taotie didn’t respond. He just pressed his lips together and buried his face in his arms, pretending to nap—but his ears were burning red.
This human… Jian Yunlan was totally teasing him!
But… Jian Yunlan said he liked him…
He liked him…
He…
BOOM!
Taotie’s entire face turned beet red in an instant, and it was like a mushroom cloud exploded over his head—severing the Bluetooth connection between their dreams in one spectacular burst.
Both Jian Yunlan and Taotie were yanked out of the dream at the same time and returned to reality.
The kiss ended, and they instinctively pulled back a little.
Jian Yunlan: “?”
Taotie: “?”
Taotie: “…?!”
It was in that moment that Taotie finally processed the truth—Jian Yunlan was really here, in front of him, flesh and blood, not a dream or an illusion.
Jian Yunlan had truly crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to reach his side.
To this place… so full of danger.
Thinking of that, Taotie’s expression suddenly changed, and his voice trembled: “Why did you come here? Didn’t I tell you… that our previous promise doesn’t count anymore?”
Jian Yunlan didn’t even bother arguing. He just shamelessly said, “Well, I’m already here.”
Taotie: “……”
“That promise was something we made together,” Jian Yunlan said, hooking his pinky finger around Taotie’s. “You can’t just say it doesn’t count anymore. I don’t agree.”
Taotie still frowned, clearly frustrated.
—He had already accepted his fate. He wasn’t planning to resist anymore. His only wish was for Jian Yunlan to live peacefully, happily, running his little street food stall. But Jian Yunlan still came anyway.
Taotie didn’t even want to imagine what Jian Yunlan had gone through to get here—how many times he must’ve come face-to-face with death.
But Jian Yunlan was still calmly analyzing the situation: “Besides, now that I’m here, Heaven definitely won’t let me leave easily. So just protect me, and I’ll protect you too.”
“Being together is the safest option.”
“You mean—if we die, we die together?”
“Mm.”
“……”
Taotie pondered for a moment, and finally, it was as if some heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.
To die together—or to live together?
That didn’t sound so bad.
Taotie took Jian Yunlan’s hand, their fingers interlocked, and together they looked up at the sky.
“Heavenly Dao, if you’ve got any tricks up your sleeve—bring them all out!”
The pillar of light that had been surrounding the two of them suddenly collapsed and vanished.
In its place, dark clouds began to gather and churn.
Silence fell over the entire Platform of Oblivion.
In that chilling, eerie quiet, Jian Yunlan and Taotie’s clasped hands slowly came apart without either of them realizing it, and then—
Someone blew a puff of cold air on the back of Jian Yunlan’s neck.
So Heavenly Dao waited for memory dream ending just to get second to last food?