The dungeon ended, the seal was broken, and Li Mo's true form emerged and entered his hard-won humanoid body. Everything was moving in a positive direction.
But after completing the objectives, the monsters had to go back, and the players also needed to return to the town.
Ya Ya reluctantly hugged Yin Xiu's leg, "Brother, even if you have Hei Qiqi, remember to come see me. I've been learning to make pancakes lately, so next time you come, you can eat my pancakes."
Yin Xiu squatted down and ruffled Ya Ya's hair, "Okay, brother is really looking forward to Ya Ya's pancakes, they'll definitely be delicious."
"Hehe." Ya Ya happily hugged Yin Xiu, not forgetting to look at Li Mo, "Don't cut your hair, okay? Next time you come, I'll braid it for you. I have lots of pretty bows and clips at home."
Long hair allows children to unleash their creativity.
"Okay." Li Mo responded, and the three of them were all very happy.
Zhong Mu, standing nearby, was also reluctantly saying goodbye to Mu He, agreeing on a time to enter the dungeon again. Only Ye Tianxuan sat on a small stool in the distance, smoking a cigarette, looking like a weathered old man, already hoping the dungeon would end quickly.
The dungeon notification sounded again, and after a beep, all players were teleported back to the misty, white area of the town.
The jailer in charge of the passage to Bliss City, seeing several familiar faces pass by, kept his eyes downcast and motionless, just wanting them to leave quickly.
Ye Tianxuan, however, asked as he passed by, "Was there a player named Zuo Meng who passed by earlier, and you stamped her name?"
This dungeon required a six-person team; whoever killed a monster was counted as one person. The night before, Yin Xiu had killed the villagers who came to call for help, which was considered a large-scale monster-killing act by this team, but now none of them would be going in; only Zuo Meng would be pulled in.
Not wanting Zuo Meng to know too much about the dungeon's core mechanics, Ye Tianxuan had Ye Niangniang teleport him back before the dungeon ended, guessing... he'd run into the jailer on the way back?
"Zuo Meng... ah... there is indeed such a player, what's wrong?" The jailer was timid and hesitant around Yin Shashen, but relatively calm with Ye Tianxuan, honestly answering the question.
"Nothing." Ye Tianxuan shook his head and turned away, hoping this person who had run Paradise City twice would have a better time.
Back in town, Yin Xiu was greeted by many people. Before leaving, Ye Tianxuan instructed the core members of the town to prepare some things, so when Yin Xiu returned from the dungeon, he was dragged to a birthday banquet prepared by the town's players and sat there for a long time.
Large, sweet, and fluffy cakes, carefully wrapped gift boxes—although Li Mo was a little jealous, the players still reluctantly gave them to Yin Xiu, delivering them to his home.
After receiving everyone's enthusiasm and blessings, everyone tactfully left Yin Xiu's doorstep.
Now that their original form had finally emerged, this was the time they needed most to be alone. Li Mo's liberation was the greatest gift for Yin Xiu, a gift he needed to unwrap slowly.
"I also prepared a gift for my boyfriend," Li Mo said earnestly, her nose close to Yin Xiu's in the quiet, familiar little house.
"What is it?" Yin Xiu asked.
"I'll go get it, you wait here for me," Li Mo said, turning and hurrying into the bathroom.
Yin Xiu waited while removing the knife belt from his waist. He no longer needed to be so vigilant even in his own home.
As he was removing it, he suddenly heard a slight movement behind him, as if something was creeping around, making a clattering sound.
Although the other party was quite quiet, Yin Xiu still noticed it.
Li Mo went to the bathroom, so what was behind him...?
Yin Xiu turned around sharply and saw several small decorative items that had appeared on his small bed.
A red candle flickered dimly on the bedside table. A bright red bed had been pulled out and laid on top of the original sheets, though it hadn't been made neatly yet. Beside the bright red bed, a dark, huddled figure, wearing a red veil, nestled upright.
The little tentacle-like creature seemed to have stolen a red veil from a game and was sitting expectantly on the edge of the bed, waiting for its boyfriend to lift it.
Yin Xiu pursed his lips, suppressing a laugh.
It didn't understand the significance of lifting the veil; it just wanted to do this with its boyfriend, so it happily nestled there, its tentacles undulating joyfully.
"What's this?" Yin Xiu turned and approached the bed.
The little tentacle-like creature on the bed became even more excited. When Yin Xiu lifted the red veil, it met his large, bright eyes. "It's you, my boyfriend!"
"Oh...it's my boyfriend." Yin Xiu reached out and ruffled the little tentacle-like creature's hair, feeling pleased.
Suddenly, a hand silently reached out from behind, snatched the red veil from Yin Xiu's hand, and covered his head. Li Mo silently embraced him from behind, leaning against Yin Xiu's shoulder. "You haven't seen my gift yet, boyfriend."
The red veil obscured Yin Xiu's vision, so he couldn't see and could only respond, "Okay, you get ready, I'm waiting."
"Then close your eyes."
"Okay." He obediently closed his eyes.
Yin Xiu felt something draped over him, and a heavy thud came from the center of the room. The little tentacle balls on the bed crawled down to help, leaving Yin Xiu alone, being helped to sit on the edge of the bed and wait.
"It's crooked! It's crooked!" he heard the little tentacle balls loudly correcting him.
"No, it's wrinkled! You better fix it." He heard Li Mo scolding the little tentacle balls, and then more little tentacle balls fell off him and crawled around the room.
They were busy for a long time before finally quieting down.
The little tentacle-like creatures' voices faded away, leaving only Li Mo's slow footsteps approaching Yin Xiu.
"Boyfriend," Li Mo said, taking his hand and leading him step by step to the prepared gifts. "Boyfriend, you can open your eyes now."
The swaying red veil was gently lifted by Li Mo, revealing Li Mo's face and the large, meticulously arranged double coffin on the ground.
A slightly crooked double happiness character was pasted on the coffin lid, a red quilt lined the inside, and red candles and flowers adorned one side of the coffin.
Hearing this, Yin Xiu slowly opened his eyes.
A festive atmosphere instantly filled the room, and Li Mo secretly draped a red robe over him, while she herself secretly donned an ill-fitting one. The two of them, though somewhat makeshift, managed to create a wedding-like atmosphere.
"Boyfriend." Li Mo clutched the red veil in his hand, gazing into Yin Xiu's eyes in the candlelight. "One day we will meet again, buried together in a coffin as humans, just like in the books I've read."
He grasped Yin Xiu's hand. "Now is that time."
A large, crooked red double happiness character was pasted on the black coffin, a symbol of death.
The coffin was lined with soft double happiness blankets, enough for two people to lie down and sleep comfortably.
Perhaps their actual burial in death would be a long, long time from now, but now they could fulfill their once romantic yet chilling promise.
Li Mo's expectant gaze was close at hand. Yin Xiu's response to this promise before was, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Now, he could finally meet those eyes and respond earnestly, "I'll go in with you."
Li Mo smiled, his eyes crinkling, and lowered his head to kiss Yin Xiu's brow. "Boyfriend, I like it."
Tiny tendrils emerged from beneath his bright red wedding robes, slowly encircling Yin Xiu's waist, closing the distance between them. The flickering candlelight cast long shadows of the two on the wall.
"Boyfriend, I like it," he murmured softly again, his voice echoing gently in the quiet room, his words soft and ambiguous, gradually creating a hazy atmosphere.
Li Mo gently moved his kiss down Yin Xiu's forehead, brow, eyes, nose, and lips.
"I...like it too." The moment his lips parted, Yin Xiu responded, and then there was no room for further conversation.
The monster's fervent love enveloped them, their lips met, and the two red figures stumbled against the coffin lid.
The monster loved human body heat, loved her boyfriend's trembling eyelashes, loved his retreat, his acceptance of her demands, loved everything about the person before her.
The crimson wedding robe slipped to the ground, along with several scattered garments.
Tentacles slithered along Yin Xiu's waist. In the flickering candlelight, their breaths mingled, their eyes, burning with love, gradually tinged with passion and desire.
"Boyfriend, it's time to sleep," Li Mo said, her eyes narrowed, suppressing her urges. She pressed Yin Xiu down, pulling him into the coffin with her. Her long black hair cascaded down
, falling messily onto Yin Xiu's chest.
Entering their most familiar space, the black tentacles, like that hair, immediately coiled around Yin Xiu, and the coffin lid
slowly slid up, obscuring the candlelight.
Yin Xiu gazed into Li Mo's eyes, silently reaching out to touch the ends of his hair.
If this was an abyss, he was willing to sink into it.
With the one he loved most.
The black coffin lid was gently closed with a muffled thud, silencing any sound from within.
Candlelight illuminated the double happiness symbol in the room, reflecting the clothes scattered on the floor.
In the long, rolling gears of life, Yin Xiu's gear finally meshed with another twisted tooth, turning together as the rest of his life flowed by.