Chapter 121 - My Costar Will Help If He Wants

Xie Bian's words mean Yao Shen spends another sleepless night twisting and turning in bed until morning.

He jumps out of bed as soon as dawn breaks. He sends Xin Hulei a message over a quick breakfast of microwave congee.

[Little Menace: Xie Bian says they're ready. I'm going there now]

[Little Menace: I'll come back to my place once everything is ready. Please have an answer for me by then]

[Little Menace: you know, you can always meet with them with Tan Liansi or something. I don't need to be there]

[Little Menace: anyway, I'm going now]

Perhaps foolishly, Yao Shen remains seated in place looking down at his phone in the vain hope of Xin Hulei replying.

Eventually, he's forced to face reality and give up.

On the way to the doorway to Youdu he tells himself that perhaps Xin Hulei isn't close to his phone.

---

He goes straight to the Wuji pavilion, where, as expected, he finds both Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu.

They're both sitting outside, appreciating the twilight and the rustling of the wind on the trees around the pavilion.

"Ah, my saviour," Fan Wujiu says, cupping his hands in front of his chest and bowing his head towards Yao Shen.

Xie Bian smacks him on the arm with so much force that Fan Wujiu almost slips down the deck where they're both sitting. "What saviour? What did he do beside almost fall off a cliff? If you want to thank someone thank me!"

Fan Wujiu rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Alright, I'll find a way to thank you."

Yao Shen wishes other people wouldn't scatter dog food while he can't even get a text back.

He clears his throat. "I'm glad to see that you're well. I don't know if Xin Hulei will be ready when you go back to remove his seal but-"

Xie Bian interrupts him with an annoyed snort. "Would I call you here just for that, idiot? There are bigger worries on our plate."

Reluctantly, Yao Shen takes a seat next to Fan Wujiu on the deck. "Like what?"

"Well, you were all filled with bluster about going against the four ghost kings, now that Fan Wujiu is healthy again, we need to act fast."

Right, there's that. Yao Shen also experiences a weird jarring sensation when shifting from his concerns in Youdu to the ones in the mortal realm.

He was doing a magazine photoshoot yesterday, how can he be discussing rebellion in the Underworld now?

"Right, well--"

This time, it's Fan Wujiu who interrupts him. "The reason we called you here instead of going directly to you is because we need you to convince Xin Hulei to join us."

"Join you?" Do they need a third Impermanence?

"What did I say about his deer in the woods look?" Xie Bian grumbles, smacking Fan Wujiu once again with his closed fan. "We should just go talk with the demon king ourselves."

Fan Wujiu tries to placate Xie Bian with a series of cooing and sushing noises, which surprisingly works.

"I've left a paper marionette in my other residence, and I'm still paying A-Sui to stay there and pretend to watch over me, but it's only a matter of time until they find out I've been healed," Fan Wujiu says, his lips tightening into a thin line.

Looking at both the White and Black Impermanences, no one would be able to guess their personalities from their outward appearances.

Xie Bian is tall and willowy, with fine features that seem carved from jade, supremely sweet and delicate as long as he doesn't open his mouth. Even his eyebrows seem to curve gracefully towards his temples, giving him a thoughtful, kind gaze -- as long as he isn't glaring.

Fan Wujiu on the other hand has sharp, commanding features. His swordlike eyebrows are constantly furrowed, and his phoenix eyes seem capable to seeing through a person. His overall appearance is of someone extremely overbearing and haughty, who looks down his handsome nose at everyone. Yet, he's always smiling, and his voice is warm and polite, completely ruining his ruthless exterior.

It's Fan Wujiu who smiles reassuringly in the face of Yao Shen's concern. "Don't worry, we don't want to get him directly involved."

Xie Bian scoffs. "He should, though, we are getting involved, why should he just watch from the sidelines?"

"I don't know if I can help you unless you tell me everything," Yao Shen says, unwilling to explain that at the moment Xin Hulei wouldn't accept a million yuan from him, let alone offer his help.

Their plan is really simple: they want to open Youdu's gates and let the demons outside the wall in, and they want Xin Hulei to control them so they can subdue the four ghost kings together.

It leaves a bad taste in Yao Shen's mouth that their plan is exactly the same as Si Wang's.

When he tells them as much, Xie Bian lets out an extremely aggrieved groan. "Yes, asking Xin Hulei for help is exactly the same as taking possession of his spirit stone and controlling him like a marionette."

"I understand your concerns, but this information only shows how urgent it is for us to act soon," Fan Wujiu says. "Whatever Si Wang is trying to do, he won't wait forever."

Yao Shen knows that. What he doesn't know is how much longer he'll be able to trick Si Wang about his real intentions regarding Xin Hulei. What if Gao Wu is Si Wang's plan B? What will Yao Shen do then?

His stomach roiling with anxiety, Yao Shen looks into Fan Wujiu's deceptively kind eyes, and admits: "I don't know if Xin Hulei wants to see me, let alone hear about any plans regarding Youdu. Maybe the two of you could talk with him directly--"

"Is this about that whole mess in the Fragrant Peony all those centuries ago?" Xie Bian asks, on elegant eyebrow arched in confusion.

Yao Shen nods.

"Well, the events that day did lead to Modu's fall not long after," Xie Bian says, his tone pensive. "It's normal for him to blame you."

"Yes...thank you," Yao Shen says, his voice hollow.

Fan Wujiu frowns. "He shouldn't hold a grudge, you helped him escape the scene of his own crime after all."

Yao Shen's head snaps around so hard he almost pulls a muscle. "What?"

"I saw you helping him out, you said something to him and then went back inside the building. It was too far away from me to hear, but he definitely heard you, he even tried to reach back to you."

Yao Shen is stunned. That changes everything. 

From Qing Yu's 'confession' Yao Shen is more or less confident that he didn't betray Xin Hulei, at least not on purpose.

But now, with what Fan Wujiu is saying, it seems that Xin Hulei might not have tried to kill him either.

He's itching to find out the truth of his memories as a ghost king, maybe find some tangible proof that he can use to reason with Xin Hulei. 

There are so many things on the line, though, is he prepared for what he can find? What if it puts everything in jeopardy, what if it damages him in some irreparable way?

There's a reason why those who reincarnate are supposed to forget their past lives. 

The white shape of a fan waving in front of his eyes brings Yao Shen back from his reverie.

"Are you still with us? Does your low intelligence allow you to fall asleep with your eyes open?" Xie Bian asks, his tone mocking.

Yao Shen snatches the fan from his hand, and is ready to hit him upside the head with it, when Fan Wujiu stops him with an apologetic smile.

"I know Bian can be...an acquired taste,"-- behind him, Xie Bian snorts,-- "but please be tolerant of his shortcomings."

"Only if he's tolerant of my short patience."

The two of them remain locked in a glaring contest, until Fan Wujiu abruptly changes the subject. "What will it be? Are you going to help us enlist Xin Hulei's help?"

Yao Shen lets out a regretful sigh. "I can tell him the plan, but whether or not he wants to help is up to him. I won't force him to get involved."

---

In order to save time, Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu travel with Yao Shen directly to the mortal realm. His cramped living room looks even smaller with the two Impermanences and their tall hats standing in the middle of it.

Fan Wujiu looks around in polite curiosity, while Xie Bian curls his lips in disdain, not at all different from the last time he was there.

Yao Shen goes check on his mobile, but finds no messages from Xin Hulei. His stomach plummets.

He calls. Someone picks up on the third ring.

"Hello?" The voice that answers him is mellow and sweet, and not at all like Xin Hulei's smokey rumble.

There's some shuffling, and then he hears a long-suffering sigh. "Oh, it's you...Master doesn't want to see you."