The light in the room cast shadows down from the man’s high nose, and his brilliant gold eyes brought a subtle sense of pressure. His slightly curled short black hair was a bit messy, but it did not diminish the impact of his unparalleled, handsome face. It was a countenance capable of making one gasp in wonder.
After a long pause, the youth broke the silence first. Moving his gaze away from the man, he crossed his arms and asked:
“The child?”
“No home?”
“Blind from birth?”
Song Yanxing listened to the three questions issued with a cold face by the beauty, whom the system had described as the object of “hero saves the beauty, love at first sight.”
What kind of love at first sight is this? It is more like an arrow through the heart, he thought. I should be grateful the system did not play any tricks, or I would have ended up a naked pervert.
Hearing his host’s internal complaint, the system popped up: [A friendly reminder: although the host has restored his adult body, his divine power has not been restored! The “Divine Gaze” buff has vanished and needs to be unlocked by increasing the task value.]
Song Yanxing: “…” So now, as an Evil God, he was a homeless, powerless, ordinary person in this dangerous world.
“Brother, I did not mean to lie to you. Listen to my explanation.” Song Yanxing took a deep breath and looked at his only hope, his eyes reddening slightly.
The system was awestruck. Playing the green tea role comes so naturally to him; he truly is a Film King.
Xi Ye frowned slightly. Looking at the man who was half a head taller than him, he pursed his lips. “The reason?”
Song Yanxing’s eyes flickered as if hesitating, but he eventually spoke: “Actually, I did lie to you.” He paused. “I turned into a child because I saw someone following you. I should have told you directly, but because I am a wanderer and felt your kindness, I wanted to stay by your side.”
“My eyes only went blind temporarily because I turned into a child. Although my vision is still a bit blurry, it does not matter. I am much better now, so I should not disturb your life anymore.” Song Yanxing lowered his eyelashes, hiding the desolation in his eyes, and spoke with a forced smile.
Song Yanxing had indeed used his divine intuition to sense someone following Xi Ye on the path, but the person who came to the door tonight was not that stalker.
Although the man standing before him was half a head taller, his handsome face still carried a hint of youthfulness, and his downcast eyes were filled with loss. Before Xi Ye could speak, the man spoke again cautiously:
“Brother, do not worry. I am a mental sorcerer. Although my spells are unstable, I have used my power to drive that man mad; he will not bother you again.” After a long pause, he added bitterly, “I was very happy spending time with you. Thank you.” He then stepped toward the door.
“Stop. I did not say you had to leave.” Xi Ye watched as the man’s dim eyes instantly lit up at his words. “The house is empty anyway. You can stay; consider it a thank you.”
Upon hearing this, the brilliant gold eyes curved slightly, filled with smiles. He said excitedly, “Really? Thank you, Brother!” He then added, “Do not worry, Brother, I will handle the chores and the cooking from now on.”
It was already midnight by the time they threw out the unconscious Barrett and the lecherous man and cleaned the blood off the wall. Just as Song Yanxing lay down in the bedroom, a mechanical voice, different from the usual one, sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Warning! Warning! An unknown bug has appeared in the novel world!]
[Scanning]
[Scan failed!]
The alarm rang several times before finally stopping. Song Yanxing felt that something was unusual.
The system reappeared with a heavy tone: [The bug was not detected. Host, please stay alert for any unforeseen events.]
Song Yanxing’s dark eyes showed no ripples. With a thoughtful look, he said, “Understood.”
“Xi Ye, your sorcerer is here to bring you lunch again!” Newman watched the tall man walk in from outside, nudging the arm of the youth who was mixing drinks. “Even though I was excited the first time, my god, every time I see him, I still think this man is just too good looking!”
Xi Ye’s gaze shifted to the man walking in with a lunch box, and the corners of his mouth curved up. Time had passed quickly; they had been living together for a month, and Barrett, who had betrayed a colleague’s information, had been fired by the tavern owner.
“Good afternoon, Newman,” Song Yanxing greeted the person looking at him with burning eyes, placing the items on the side table. He then looked at the person working seriously, revealing his canine teeth. “Brother, I made pan seared steak for you today, along with your favorite whole wheat bagels.”
Newman tactfully walked away, leaving space for the two of them.
Xi Ye put down his tools and walked over. Looking at the exquisite meal, he said, “It is too much trouble for you. You have a job too; just make something simple from now on.”
“I am not busy at work, just helping the shop with the accounts.” He lowered his head and laughed. “Besides, preparing meals for you every day is no trouble at all for me.”
Xi Ye pursed his lips and said nothing. He thought about how every time he passed the clothing store where the man worked, it was overcrowded with female customers who claimed to be buying clothes but were actually there to look at the handsome guy. The shop, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, had become a trending store overnight because of him.
Song Yanxing watched the person eating seriously. Mmh… he does not like broccoli; I will not add it next time. He eats the tomatoes in the sandwich slowly; he must not like them. I will replace them with cheese next time.
Seeing this, the system was speechless: [Host, are you raising a cub?]
Song Yanxing was not bothered and answered slowly, “I live in his house = being kept = he is my benefactor. So, taking care of him is the duty of a homeless little pitiable person like me.”
He made it sound like the helplessness of living under someone else’s roof, but the system clearly heard that he was enjoying it.
After lunch, they packed up the containers together, and the wandering Newman returned to the bar.
“Whoa, do you know what gossip I heard out there? This will absolutely shock you!” Newman looked excited, his face flushed.
Xi Ye showed little reaction, as he was used to Newman’s “shocking gossip” being the romantic scandals of high ranking officials and nobles. Song Yanxing, however, cooperated and asked curiously, “Oh, what gossip? Newman, do not keep us in suspense.”
Relieved to have an audience, Newman leaned in and whispered: “I heard Earl Casey is about to inspect our district, and he is bringing his son, Viscount Cole, with him!” He grew more excited. “His Highness Cole apparently got injured during a business trip recently. This trip with the Earl is probably for a change of scenery. Regardless, if we can see such a person, we can die without regrets!”
Song Yanxing listened with interest but noticed a flash of mockery in Xi Ye’s half closed eyes. He also found the name Cole increasingly familiar, realizing after a moment that this was the protagonist of the book.
He called the system and asked, “What is the dog blood task for this novel world?” The system had not specified the task at the beginning.
[Ding! Values have changed. Current task completion: 35%!]
Song Yanxing, who received a task value increase without an answer, was confused. “?”
The system explained: [This is the delayed value from the last bug. And based on our calculations, we reasonably suspect]
“The protagonist has been reborn.” Song Yanxing finished the thought, voicing his suspicion.
At this stage, the protagonist, Cole, should not have strayed from the path to appear here.
The system grew serious: [Exactly. But other possibilities are not ruled out. In this world ruled by gods, there are many variables. I must remind the host again: stay alert!] [Additionally, I just received the dog blood task for this world. It is “The Flower on the High Peak is Dragged Down from the Altar,” extracted from the protagonist’s subconscious. This means the original novel plot will completely collapse.]
The original plot involved the protagonist, the son of an earl with no magical talent, who was mocked until he discovered the mark left by the Evil God in a forbidden book. He awakened the Evil God and used him to steal others’ opportunities, becoming a genius of the sorcery world. The original book followed his rise to the top of the empire, with the original host serving as his stepping stone.
After hearing the task, Song Yanxing was startled. “I feel like this task is pointing at me.”
The system gloated: [Hehe, it is okay, Host. At worst, you can just offer your body to the protagonist.]
Song Yanxing: “…”
After a moment of silence, he analyzed: “If there are no surprises, the protagonist has awakened and regrets his actions. Although he reached the top in his past life, he was lonely in his old age. So now he feels remorse toward the original host, who gave everything for him and trusted him until death, and this time he wants to treat him sincerely.”
Better late than never.
System: [Good luck, Host. If you really do not want to offer your body, accumulating other small dog blood points is also beneficial!]
Song Yanxing waited for Xi Ye in front of the tavern after work. The two walked together in the alley, the atmosphere somewhat quiet.
“What is wrong today? I saw your expression change when you heard about Earl Casey,” Song Yanxing asked, looking at the distracted man.
“It is nothing. I want to visit my mother.” Perhaps feeling his tone was too cold, Xi Ye added, “I told you before, I do not live with her. She opened a flower shop in the west. Do you want to go with me?”
Song Yanxing saw he was not in a good state and could not let it go: “Of course, it would be my honor.”
They took a tram for half an hour and reached their destination. After walking through a few crowded markets, they turned right at a quiet intersection where a simply decorated flower shop stood.
Song Yanxing followed behind Xi Ye. He saw Xi Ye push the door open and freeze. Song tilted his head slightly to look inside, making eye contact with a pair of silver eyes.
It was Cole, the protagonist he had just discussed with the system.