Yin Xiu was somewhat troubled. Although he had agreed without hesitation, when it came to actually facing the situation, he was like a blank sheet of paper, lacking any solutions.
Asking others about this seems inappropriate, and there's probably no one to consult.
After returning to the town, Yin Xiu sat by the lake, fishing with a rod and lost in thought, listening to the lively sounds coming from the square in the distance. Unlike before, he now had someone else by his side.
The setting sun cast the silhouettes of the two sitting by the lake, making them appear less lonely than before.
"How do we bind the god and the high priest?" Yin Xiu knew they would have a long time to deal with these matters, but just in case, they should bind them as soon as possible.
"We need to exchange blood." Li Mo sat motionless beside Yin Xiu, watching him fish, and said softly, "We need to use the power of the gods to mix and exchange our blood, using blood as a contract, so that the exchange is binding us together."
"Then... I have to bleed, right?" Yin Xiu pondered. Since it was necessary to mix and alternate the blood, the amount of blood to be bleed must be considerable, which sounded somewhat dangerous for the human side.
"Yes, but in order to ensure that you don't die, the blood of the gods needs to be able to enter your body at any time to ensure that your life can continue. Let me think about the best place for the contract…" Li Mo thought hard and pondered a suitable location.
"You need to bleed, and you need to bleed me too?"
"Um."
Yin Xiu looked up at the setting sun gradually darkening in the distance, put away his fishing rod, and said, "I know where it is. Come home with me."
"Hmm?" Li Mo was still thinking when Yin Xiu, who was hurriedly putting away his fishing rod, took her hand.
As dusk approached, a dark shadow gradually spread from overhead, enveloping the town.
The dim light shimmered and swayed on the lake, outlining two figures walking back along the shore.
The town was even more lively as night fell than during the day. Players greeted each other warmly in the square, chatted, and said goodbye to their companions before heading home before darkness fell.
On a winding path, two players on patrol saw Yin Xiu and Li Mo walking towards them and raised their hands with smiles, calling out, "Brother Xiu! Getting ready to go back? Did you catch any fish today?"
Yin Xiu took a deep breath and shook his head.
The other person smiled and waved his hand, "It's alright, Brother Xiu. There's still a long time to go in town. You'll always be able to catch something. I'm going to do my usual patrol on the edge of town and then I'll be back. I still need to prepare offerings for Lady Ye. Don't forget, Brother Xiu, or Lady Ye will still be unhappy."
"Understood." Yin Xiu waved his hand dismissively, glanced at the two figures gradually disappearing into the distance, and calmly turned around to take Li Mo's hand and continue back.
Turning around, I met the gaze of a cat crouching on the grass.
The cat, entirely black, stared intently at Yin Xiu with its eerie purple eyes, then opened its mouth and meowed.
Yin Xiu didn't understand, but Li Mo explained, "He asked if you knew where Ye Tianxuan went, because he couldn't find him."
Yin Xiu stared at him silently. Ye Tianxuan was deliberately hiding, so how could he find him? He shook his head.
"Meow meow meow... meow meow..." The black cat let out a series of muffled meows and quickly ran past Yin Xiu toward the other end of the path.
As he left, Yin Xiu noticed a rope around the black cat's neck, with a familiar ring hanging from it—the one Ye Tianxuan often wore. But now it was strung on a rope and hung around the cat's neck, and the ring's owner was deliberately avoiding him. It was hard not to wonder what had happened.
"What is it meowing?" Yin Xiu turned back to look at the departing black cat, listening to its urgent and chaotic meows, which didn't sound like anything good.
"It's cursing, it's swearing, it's swearing filth." Li Mo nodded seriously, "It's cursing Ye Tianxuan."
"Oh," Yin Xiu replied indifferently, showing no concern, and pulled Li Mo along as they continued walking back.
Walk through the path connecting the square to the lakeside, and you'll find the town's noisiest square.
This old town was once inhabited by the people of Haicun, then by the ghosts, and now it is the home of players. The shadows of old buildings and bungalows overlap in the sunset, and the alleys are interconnected and intricate, but it is a place where countless players are used to living.
"Brother Xiu!" As soon as he stepped in, someone greeted Yin Xiu. "Brother Xiu, did you go fishing with your boyfriend today?"
"Brother Xiu, do you want me to get you a new fishing rod? I feel like the old one isn't good enough."
"Yes, yes, I just went to water your flowers. I've gotten into the habit of watering them while you're not around. Remember not to overwater them, Xiu-ge."
"Brother Xiu, go home and get some rest! It might rain tonight, everyone's tired, try to sleep well while listening to the rain!"
Yin Xiu, with his slender build and fishing gear on his back, stood out in the crowd. Everyone who came across him greeted him with a warm smile.
Yin Xiu looked up at the sound and saw that the sky was indeed dark and gloomy, indicating that it would probably rain after nightfall.
He nodded, responded softly to them, and walked through the bustling town square toward his house.
Passing through the uneven low wall, Yin Xiu entered the alley, led Li Mo into the innermost house, closed the door, and shut out all the noise outside, as if for a moment the world only consisted of the two of them.
In the quiet room, Yin Xiu simply took off his fishing gear and placed it in the corner of the room. Then he turned around, sat down in a chair, and patted the new chair he had just bought for Li Mo. "Come and sit down."
The original house only had the living atmosphere of Yin Xiu, including only one chair. Later, Yin Xiu replaced everything in the house with double chairs, which visually created more space for Li Mo.
Li Mo walked over quickly, sat down next to Yin Xiu, and gazed at him with a smile, "Boyfriend, what's wrong?"
Then Yin Xiu held out his hand to him, "Give it to me, let me see it too."
What do you mean?
"The book you got from the player."
Li Mo's smile froze. "Didn't you already take it and return it to them?"
Yin Xiu stared at him unmoved. "You still have one on you, don't you?"
He would occasionally sneak out and look through it, hiding it so well, did he really think he couldn't see it?
After a few seconds of silence, Li Mo still took out the book and handed it to Yin Xiu. "This one... was given to me by Ye Tianxuan."
Yin Xiu's hand trembled slightly as he took the book, and he was speechless for a moment. "He wants to meddle in this kind of thing too?"
"He said he was worried about his best friend's health, saying that since I'm a monster, I need to be extra careful, so I took it to read." Li Mo answered very seriously. He was also worried that because he was a monster, he might accidentally hurt his boyfriend, so he studied very hard.
Yin Xiu remained silent, unsure whether Ye Tianxuan was genuinely worried or simply looking for amusement, before picking up the book and opening it seriously.
Li Mo, standing to the side, was puzzled. "Didn't my boyfriend tell me to come back and resolve the contract between the god and the high priest? Why are you suddenly reading a book?"
Yin Xiu replied calmly, "I don't like to keep troubles on my mind, so I might as well deal with them all at once."
Li Mo understood, and a surge of joy welled up in his heart. He quickly leaned over to watch with Yin Xiu.
The two people were studying the book attentively under the lamp.