CH 29

Ji Ning froze at the sight of Huo Wuling lying across his bed.

Despite the many horrors he had seen across the different worlds, the sight of Huo Wuling always scared him. 

Had his injury healed? How had he even found this world? What had happened to Herinos?

Several questions flashed through his head, but Ji Ning was more focused on self preservation methods.

He had the right to use his abilities in this world. Unlike the helplessness he felt when facing Huo Wuling before, this time he was capable of protecting himself.

However, although Ji Ning tried to use his powers, his body felt drained empty, as if unblocking the power seal had only been his fantasy. As he struggled to protect himself, Huo Wuling stood up from his bed and slowly walked toward him. 

“Don’t waste your energy.”

Huo Wuling approached slowly but Ji Ning had nowhere to retreat and ended up backed up against the door.

Pinned against the door, Ji Ning’s hands groped for the door bolt, but just as he was about to open the door to escape or shout for help, Huo Wuling gave a light chuckle. He used one hand to cage Ji Ning against the wooden frame, while the other turned the lock on the door. Huo Wuling lowered his head, pressing closer into his space with a carefree smile.

“Does this feel unfair? That’s because you’re still inside a dream.” Huo Wuling said, “There’s no need to look for others, there’s only the two of us here. No one will come to disturb us.”

His glacial fingertips caressed the side of Ji Ning’s face. Faintly transparent in the dim light, the ghost’s eerie appearance was frightening to look at.

“I could sense you were dreaming of me, so I came along to have a look.”

The beautiful man hooked his lips up, smiling, as he swept his gaze around the palace, “I didn’t expect to see something so interesting. Are we in another world?”

Ji Ning hadn’t wanted to speak, refusing to engage with Huo Wuling, but at these words he felt a chill run down his back. Huo Wuling had already realised this was another world. 

As the protagonist of an infinite flow novel, Huo Wuling had travelled between different worlds, completing various tasks, similar to Ji Ning, so he couldn’t help worrying that Huo Wuling would guess his secret.

The next moment his fears were confirmed as Huo Wuling suddenly looked back at him and asked.

“Ningning, let me ask you, are you doing missions like me?”

He had really guessed it… 

Ji Ning’s heart sank. Now that things had come to this point, it was impossible to keep this secret from Huo Wuling, but he didn’t understand what Huo Wuling had done to him. How could he know about his dreams?

“Are you confused?”

Faced with Ji Ning’s silence, Huo Wuling didn’t appear angry at all. On the contrary, he was still smiling and explained to him patiently.

“Actually, I’ve always been by your side. I’ve never left you Ningning. The day I found you and fought with that vampire, my body was destroyed by him. My soul was also seriously injured, so I hid inside your shadow to rest it.” 

He looked down at his somewhat transparent hand and smiled casually, “Thanks to him, I’m dead again, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll find a new body later.”

How could Herinos hurt him like that? To the point of being forced to leave his body?

Ji Ning looked at him in alarm. Seeing his panic, Huo Wuling couldn’t help laughing, and added, “Of course, he’s in no better shape than me. It’s better to say that I was the one who won in the end.”

As he said this, Huo Wuling conjured a glass jar. Imprisoned inside of it was a small bat. It was tightly curled up and seemed to be in a deep sleep. 

“I pretended to die in order to capture him. Now that he’s in my hands, I can kill him any time.”

Huo Wuling spoke casually. Without thinking, Ji Ning rushed forward to snatch the glass jar, but of course, he was still inside a dream and the jar didn’t really exist. As soon as his hand brushed against the jar, it disappeared into smoke and he was caught within Huo Wuling’s embrace.

“Are you so worried about him?”

The dark haired man wrapped an arm around Ji Ning’s waist, raising the other to pinch the fluffy animal ears on top of his head. His smile turned cold, “I’m having a hard time too, aren’t you worried about me at all Ningning?” 

“Well…nngh-”

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“Gbc’a kbggs, P kbc’a xlii sbe cbk.”

Leb Qeilcu rjlv, jr lo la kjr bynlber, “P’w ilnlcu lcrlvf sbeg rtjvbk. Po sbeg ybvs vlfr, ws rbei klii yf vjwjufv, rb ecali P mjc ifjnf sbeg rtjvbk, cba bcis klii P cba xlii sbe, yea P qgbwlrf ab qgbafma sbe. Glv sbe obgufa atf yibcv wjc ogbw yfobgf? Pa kjr bcis yfmjerf P gfrmefv sbe ogbw tlr qeqqfar atja sbe wjcjufv ab frmjqf.” 

Ji Ning was stunned. Huo Wuling must be referring to Ozer, which meant that he was the reason he had been freed from Ozer’s paralysis.

“But why are you so afraid of death? You were originally a ghost that I raised, what does it matter if you become one again?”

After saying this, Huo Wuling let out a light laugh, “Sorry I forgot, your real identity isn’t a ghost. My world was only a part of your mission, right?”

“In that case, did you rip my heart out because you hated me to the point of betrayal, or were you forced to do it as a task?” 

“…” Ji Ning stayed silent again.

“You won’t answer me?” Huo Wuling pinched his ear again as punishment, then spoke to him in a low voice, “Okay, it doesn’t matter, I’ll figure it out myself.”

“I’m sorry that I did that to do,” Ji Ning lowered his head and finally said, “But you better not meddle in my business, you will…”

“What I care about is not the truth, but you Ningning.” 

Huo Wuling interrupted him, “Everything I do is to get you, no matter what your identity is or whoever is behind you. Don’t try to stop me.”

“Look, it’s almost time now. You have to wake up. Come here.”

“If you want to save that vampire, remember to go back to another world to find me. Don’t make me wait too long, Ningning.”

The dark haired man bent down and kissed Ji Ning’s forehead, fading into the darkness. 

The light around him dimmed. When Ji Ning opened his eyes again, he saw the curtains of his bed. Qin Ruwang stood by his side with a sword in hand. Seeing him wake up, he smiled at him and called out, “Master.”

It was already dawn outside the window. Still dizzy, Ji Ning leant against Qin Ruwang, slowly recalling the dream that had become a little blurry in his head until he finally recalled everything.

The most important thing was that Huo Wuling had guessed he was a transmigrator. Although Huo Wuling couldn’t have imagined he was a character in a novel, Ji Ning’s secret had been revealed and he had no idea what might happen to Huo Wuling because of that.

Ji Ning had never heard of any precedents in this regard. He just knew how much Future stressed that he could never reveal he was a transmigrator to the characters of the original novels, otherwise forceful measures would be taken. 

What if Huo Wuling was erased by the system operator?

Ji Ning’s heart felt complicated. Although Huo Wuling wanted to kill him now, before Ji Ning betrayed him he had been very kind to him. He didn’t want to lose Huo Wuling because of this.

Not knowing what else to do, he contacted Future and explain Huo Wuling’s unexpected arrival.

【I was already aware.】Said Future,【When he blocked Ozer’s spiritual power, I detected him hiding inside your shadow and predicted your secret would be exposed.】 

「What will happen to him?」asked Ji Ning.

【For the time being there is no one to deal with this matter.】Said Future,【The planes of each world are chaotic. The superiors are doing their best to solve it. Until then, there is a serious shortage of manpower and other matters will be delayed.】

「But what about after this?」

【We would reset his memory and the world’s timeline. Depending on the situation, you might have to reenter the world to complete the mission again.】 

That’s fine. As long as Huo Wuling was alive, he could accept any situation.

【Before the reset you should take advantage of this.】said Future,【He understands your situation and has powerful abilities. In worlds where you are powerless, he can protect you until the planes are repaired.】

Ji Ning was surprised Future would suggest such an idea. Normally he was extremely strict in regards to the rules and finding loopholes was not his style.

Was this all because he had said they were friends back then? 

Ji Ning pondered in his heart but didn’t speak his thoughts out loud and just said,「Thank you Future.」

【Then I wish you all the best.】

Before Future cut off their connection, Ji Ning quickly said,「Wait a minute, just send me directly to Gu Chen’s world, I’m worried about Herinos.」

He didn’t expect they would fight so fiercely, nor that Huo Wuling wouldn’t hesitate to destroy his own body in order to capture Herinos. 

Fortunately, for some unknown reason, Huo Wuling hadn’t killed Herinos. It was rare for the ruthless Huo Wuling but Ji Ning was extremely grateful.

Was Huo Wuling aware of the blood pact between Herinos and him?

Ji Ning wondered, as it was the only reason he could think of. If Herinos died, Ji Ning’s soul would be damaged and it was likely his body would die. Now that Huo Wuling was attached to his shadow, he wanted to keep Ji Ning alive at all costs.

Following his request, Ji Ning was transferred to the world of ‘Rebirth of the Interstellar Actor’. 

When he opened his eyes, he was back inside the newly restored villa. He was lying on his large bed with someone beside him. It was Huo Wuling, who gave him a satisfied smile, before leaning forward to kiss him.

As he was a ghost, both his body and kiss were cold. Ji Ning froze at his action, allowing Huo Wuling to kiss him as he pleased. When he was satisfied, Huo Wuling stood up from the bed, pressing a final chaste kiss to his lips, “Good morning.”

“…”

Although Huo Wuling had said he wouldn’t kill him for now, Ji Ning still found it difficult to adapt to the new situation. After washing himself up, he asked, “How’s Herinos?” 

“As you saw in your dream, I have him sealed, but you can’t see him yet.”

Huo Wuling stretched his long legs lazily across the bed, flashing Ji Ning a grin, “You must really like him to come after me so soon. Aren’t you afraid I’ll get jealous and kill him right now?”

“Then what can I do to make you happy?”

Ji Ning asked glumly, what was Huo Wuling’s purpose in calling him over here? 

“I haven’t thought about that yet,” Huo Wuling rubbed his chin, tilting his head, “Why don’t we go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register for marriage?”

“…”

Ji Ning was left speechless for a while before Huo Wuling laughed. Apparently he hadn’t really meant it.

The dark haired man said again, “If you want to ask me to let go of Herinos, you should think of an offer yourself. It’s too insincere to directly ask me.” 

Ji Ning knew Huo Wuling would be happy if he revealed his secrets about his identity to him, but that was impossible.

He thought about it for a while, but just as he was about to speak, he felt a sudden wrongness in his body. He felt his legs weaken and fell to the ground. Seconds later, his trousers tore apart as his legs gradually merged together into a single fishtail, thousands of teal scales fusing into a delicate fin.

This is-

Ji Ning’s eyes widened as his skin grew paler and thin webbing grew between his fingers. Tears dripped from his eyes due to the light of the room that suddenly felt too bright. 

“Mermaid?”

Huo Wuling stood up, looking down on Ji Ning who was lying on the floor.

Ji Ning had become a mermaid, his lower body an elegant fishtail while his upper body remained human, with some subtle changes. His ears curved into aqua ear fins, while his eyes were milky and slitted. His hair had grown down to his waist, a faint sapphire shimmer visible in the sunlight.

His appearance was originally beautiful and gentle, but after he became a mermaid, he appeared a little more coquettish and charming. Gazing upwards, his pitiful gaze made you want to bully him. 

“Water…”

Ji Ning gasped, looking at Huo Wuling in desperation, “I need to breathe…water, please take me…”

Huo Wuling squatted down beside him with a smile. Raising Ji Ning’s chin, he said, “I love you begging me so desperately. You look stunning, why don’t you beg me again?”

“…” 

Ji Ning gripped Huo Wuling’s wrist, digging his nails into the skin. His face flushed alluringly, but it was purely due to lack of oxygen, as he gave the ghost a pitiful look.

Huo Wuling raised an eyebrow, but seeing that he was really struggling, he lifted Ji Ning up and carried him to the large bathtub. He quickly turned the taps on and within a few seconds he had filled the bath with warm water.

Ji Ning plunged his face into the water, sucking it greedily into his gills, finally able to breathe.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t live above water. As long as he had absorbed enough oxygen from the water, he could stay at the surface for around half an hour but just now he was completely oxygen deficient. 

…A time distortion had caused him to become a mermaid from the apocalypse world again.

Ji Ning sank to the bottom of the bath, spitting out a wave of bubbles as he considered his body’s situation.

Fortunately, a mermaid like him had no special requirements for freshwater or seawater, and Huo Wuling had been there, otherwise he would probably have suffocated to death crawling towards the bathtub.

With a splash, a leg stepped into the bathtub. Huo Wuling had followed him inside and sat down beside him, asking with a curious smile, “So your real form is a mermaid?” 

“…No.” Ji Ning said truthfully, “It was just my appearance in a specific world. There is something wrong with me at the moment and my soul isn’t very stable.”

“You look beautiful.” Huo Wuling put his hand into the water and cupped Ji Ning’s face, “Especially the way you would have died without me just now, it was thrilling.”

“If I die,” Ji Ning couldn’t help but say, remembering all the fear Huo Wuling had caused him, “Then we’ll die together.”

“That was a bad thing to say.” 

Huo Wuling laughed softly, leaning down to embrace Ji Ning in the water, overwhelming him with a passionate kiss.

Kissed breathless, Ji Ning’s eyes rolled upwards, but he suddenly found the surrounding light was slowly dimming, his vision worsening. Finally, the bottom of the bath disappeared and he felt himself sink downwards.

Feeling something was wrong, he pushed at Huo Wuling’s shoulders. Huo Wuling also noticed the changes in their surroundings and released him. They were no longer inside the bathtub and had sunk to the bottom of a large body of water.

The water was relatively clear and the floor was smooth. It appeared to be man made rather than a natural seabed, and was a plastic tank the size of a swimming pool. It was pitch black above, with very little light shining down. 

Not only had a time distortion occurred but also a space distortion. He was seriously unlucky.

Ji Ning felt powerless, he swam around in the dark water, exploring the area. A mermaid’s night vision was impressive. Using only the light from the sky, he could make out his surroundings even in the darkness. He soon concluded that they were inside a huge water storage tank, but he didn’t understand the function of the place.

“Really interesting.”

As a ghost, Huo Wuling could move freely through the water. He stretched his fingertips out and let his palms sink through the smooth wall, before moving his whole body through. After a while, he returned and said, 

“I learned what’s going on outside.” He smiled, “It’s an auction. You’re a very expensive mermaid, packed inside a huge fish tank to be sold as an auction item. A rich man just auctioned you off, only-”

Before he finished speaking, a sound came from the top of the huge fish tank. The heavy lid was pulled off and a bloodied human corpse was dropped in. Large clouds of blood quickly dyed the pure water red.

A figure then appeared above the tank, leaning over it. With a mermaid’s keen eyesight, Ji Ning could see the person clearly from the bottom of the tank.

They had a handsome face, with empty silver eyes and snowy hair that tumbled across his white robe. Ivory wings hung down his back, like a holy angel, but his face and clothes were stained with blood. 

“Only,” Huo Wuling glanced at the man above, a smile playing around his mouth, and said, “Everyone inside was killed by him.”

Hello my readers! Uh, you’ll never guess who got the days of the week mixed up…

Okay, I know he’s terrible in so many ways, but Huo Wuling is seriously stealing my heart, the way he loves Ningning is kinda hot and psychotic all at once and I love it!

Also, I know I say this every time, but the next protagonist really is so precious to me. The way he *spoilers* and *spoilers* made me cry so hard