The moment the dungeon notification sounded, Yin Xiu turned to look at Ye Tianxuan.
To him, it was just a matter of fishing and eating in the dungeon; the fact that he was told he'd already cleared it was definitely Ye Tianxuan's doing, given his furtive behavior these past few days.
"Cleared it so quickly, what's going on?" Yin Xiu stared at Ye Tianxuan, not reacting much, just puzzled by his actions.
Ye Tianxuan smiled, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his long, distinct eyes gleaming with cunning. "Yin the God of Slaughter, do you remember what day it is today?"
Yin Xiu hesitated. "What day?"
He had barely uttered the question when he suddenly felt a tremor from all directions. The entire village was rapidly collapsing and disappearing, but the people standing under the Marriage Tree showed no surprise, nor any intention of leaving.
The dungeon scene vanished in an instant, replaced by several figures before Yin Xiu:
Night Goddess, Black Cat, 408, and Mu He.
Faced with the sudden appearance of these people, Yin Xiu frowned even more, sensing that something big was about to happen; otherwise, so many key figures wouldn't have come.
"You said you were going to clear the dungeon, but I didn't expect you to be so quick?" 408 glanced at the group, then, after his gaze settled on Yin Xiu and Li Mo, he crossed his arms and stood far away from them.
Night Goddess, holding her black cat, calmly replied, "Nothing surprising. They've all cleared it before. A simpler dungeon would be even faster."
After Mu He appeared, Zhong Mu trotted over to him, fussing over him.
This scene made 408 frown even more, and he stood even further away.
Yin Xiu glanced at the suddenly appearing crowd, confused as to what had happened. "What's going on?"
Ye Tianxuan sighed, clapping his hands at Yin Xiu and reminding him, "Today is a very important day for you. Almost everyone celebrates this day, and everyone's date is different. Guess what it is today?"
Yin Xiu: ?
Ye Tianxuan patiently reminded him again, "You spent this most important day in a dungeon, as you mentioned before." Yin Xiu
frowned in thought. Ye
Tianxuan couldn't laugh anymore and couldn't help but say directly, "Yin Xiu, it's your birthday, your birthday."
Yin Xiu: "...Is today my birthday?"
Ye Tianxuan looked complicated. "Yes, it's your birthday. I thought that after reminding you this much, you would at least remember."
Yin Xiu paused slightly. It wasn't that he had forgotten his birthday, but he just didn't know what day it was. He had been living in a daze, and hadn't celebrated his birthday for several years. Suddenly being brought up by Ye Tianxuan, he froze.
Could it be... that their suspicious behavior these past few days was all because of this?
Just as he was stunned, Yin Xiu's hands were pulled up, one on each side. Li Mo and Ya Ya nestled beside him, looking at him happily. "We prepared a gift for our brother."
"Really?" Yin Xiu was momentarily stunned. It was indeed as Ye Tianxuan had said; he had spent this most important day in a dungeon, and that was the last birthday he remembered, because it marked his adulthood, and he hadn't thought about it since.
He thought he would never remember this day again, but one day in the future, someone reminded him.
"But..." Yin Xiu looked up at Night Goddess, Black Cat, and 408, "Why are you all here?"
He didn't think these people were here to remind him of his birthday.
Night Goddess and the others remained silent, but Ye Tianxuan beside them laughed.
"Yin Xiu, as a friend of many years, I haven't given you anything yet, but you should like this gift, right?" Ye Tianxuan smiled meaningfully, a cigarette between his fingers. "Turn around and look behind you."
Having been kept in the dark the whole time, Yin Xiu, who had sensed something but hadn't investigated, was now somewhat dazed.
He turned around, bewildered, and his heart pounded the moment he caught a glimpse of something behind him.
It was a door, that pitch-black door.
The last time he saw it was years ago when he parted ways with Li Mo.
He remembered the door before him vividly, remembered the promise he made to the monster behind it, and he would never forget this door.
Night Goddess pursed her lips softly, letting out a low laugh. "High-level dungeons are the areas closest to the center. Any high-level dungeon has a path leading to the door, and this is a high-level dungeon."
408 beside her slowly added, "And we are the monsters who can open the door, dragged here by Ye Tianxuan to run errands."
"It's a gift!" Ya Ya added excitedly.
Yin Xiu quickly processed their words in his mind, then slowly turned to look at Li Mo, then at Ye Tianxuan. "Are you planning to have them break the seal and release Li Mo's true form ahead of time?"
Ye Tianxuan nodded. "I've asked Li Mo and Lady Ye. It'll be a while before the normal players clear the dungeon and leave, but according to Lady Ye's observations of the remaining players in each town, it won't be too long.
"Breaking the seal and letting Li Mo's true form squeeze into his current body can temporarily maintain his power. Although it won't last long, it'll be enough to keep the normal players from leaving.
"Anyway, the seal will open sooner or later, and everyone will be corrupted. I think letting him come out of the seal early would be the best gift for you."
After having this idea, he asked Li Mo and Lady Ye to confirm the possibility of this method. After receiving confirmation, he secretly made arrangements.
He had Zhong Mu take Yin Xiu into the high-level dungeon under the pretext of finding Mu He, and then they conspired to secretly clear the dungeon, preparing this gift for Yin Xiu right at midnight.
The whole process went smoothly. Yin Xiu had always assumed they were on a dungeon vacation, so he was completely bewildered by this sudden turn of events.
He stood before the door, staring intently at it, a door that almost blended into the darkness. He seemed to hear that voice again, the voice that had promised him.
Li Mo silently took his hand, his dark figure pressed close to Yin Xiu's side. "Soon, I can finally hold my boyfriend in my arms."
His voice was full of longing, as if he, not Yin Xiu, was the one receiving the gift.
"You're finally... able to come out of the seal..." Yin Xiu murmured, his gaze unfocused.
He hadn't expected this day to come so suddenly. The moment he saw the door, it was as if his memories were pulled back to his teens, to the time he and Li Mo were reluctantly parting, praying that he would come out of the seal soon. And now, in the blink of an eye, they had reached this moment.
His heart seemed to leap with uncontrollable joy, his blood boiling with excitement.
In the bleakness of his life in recent years, this was the most unexpected surprise he had ever received.
"Looks like Yin Shashen really likes it." Ye Tianxuan smiled, then turned to direct the two beside him, "Go, break the seal for our Xiu-ge."
408 pouted and stepped forward speechlessly.
Ye Niangniang put down the black cat and followed.
The seal needed to be broken by both the White Cat Faction and the Black Cat Faction, so Ye Tianxuan had summoned them.
Actually, Ye Niangniang and the others were also a bit dizzy, and Ye Tianxuan really treated breaking the seal as a surprise for Yin Xiu, like a little lover's delight.
But... never mind, because it really doesn't do any harm.
The young couple's emotions are stable, and so is the entire supernatural world.