Chapter 26: The Widow in the Mansion (Conclusion)

Cheng Zhaolin lowered his head, savoring the warmth of Yu Deng’s fingertips brushing against his brow. The evil spirit hardly dared to blink, fearing that such tenderness might be nothing more than a fantasy born of his own obsession.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Zhaolin repeated Yu Deng’s words in a soft voice: "Is my spouse saying... that you will stay with me for the time to come?"

Yu Deng nodded.

Cheng Zhaolin confirmed again: "Only with me, is that right?"

Yu Deng felt puzzled by his late husband’s need for repeated reassurance: "Of course." After all, Cheng Xiao’s special mission was complete; he would certainly be focusing entirely on his tasks with Cheng Zhaolin from now on.

In that instant, Cheng Zhaolin felt he would do anything Yu Deng asked of him. The resentment and violence in the evil spirit’s heart had completely dissipated, replaced by a deeper, more profound longing.

"This is what you promised, my spouse."

[Holy crap, did the screen just go black again? Deng-Deng has so many secrets, why is everything so mysterious?]

[Reasonable guess: does Deng-Deng have some kind of special mission that he blocked because he was afraid we would interfere?]

[The person above is likely right. But it’s amazing that five players actually survived this variant instance.]

[All thanks to our baby! So many plot points were unlocked by him, and several NPCs in the instance became less aggressive toward the players because of him—especially the butler.]

[The baby hasn't left yet... can we see extra content? Ah, the evil spirit really looks like a tamed big dog. Damn! The stream was cut off?!]

The screens of hundreds of thousands of viewers went black, displaying that the broadcast had ended. Since Yu Deng’s main mission was over and he was now on a special mission, the system had simply cut off his stream.

Naturally, Yu Deng did not notice that his audience had been forced into darkness once again. He had already been pulled back into the evil spirit’s embrace.

"What does my spouse wish to do with me?" Cheng Zhaolin asked.

Yu Deng pursed his lips: "It’s... exactly what I told you before."

The sealing... Cheng Zhaolin understood, and his joy dimmed slightly.

Yu Deng looked up at his late husband, who had only recently returned to the world of the living. He felt a bit troubled, unsure of how to put it into words: "I..."

The evil spirit was remarkably sharp; from Yu Deng’s attitude and the disappearance of the other guests, he had already guessed the truth—Yu Deng did not want him to destroy the space here.

Cheng Zhaolin left the choice to Yu Deng: "This is something my spouse must do, isn't it?"

Yu Deng gave a soft, affirmative hum.

Cheng Zhaolin sighed: "Then I will cooperate with you."

Even his late husband was being this obedient and cooperative...

"..." Yu Deng was silent for a while, then asked out of the blue, "Cheng Zhaolin, do you think this counts as revenge?"

Cheng Zhaolin thought about it earnestly and shook his head: "Perhaps it is still lacking. My spouse, I want to destroy this place."

Yu Deng thought to himself that there was indeed a conflict. This secondary mission could not possibly be completed alongside the special mission; as long as the seal was in place, the destruction could not proceed. Or, to put it another way, it seemed that the instance... did not want Cheng Zhaolin to succeed in his revenge? How strange.

Cheng Zhaolin understood the conflict as well, his eyes glinting with faint mockery.

"I have an idea," Cheng Zhaolin said, smiling at Yu Deng’s puzzled expression. "But before that, whatever you want to do to me, my treasure, do it first."

Yu Deng gave a dull "oh" and, under the guidance of System 01, silently recited the intent to bind the evil spirit in a contract and seal him away once more.

Pale golden threads connected them.

Unlike the adopted son who was merely a mortal, Cheng Zhaolin, as an evil spirit, had a much clearer perception of this power and could feel his connection to Yu Deng more distinctly.

Cheng Zhaolin narrowed his eyes and, just as the sealing was nearing completion, forcibly paused it.

"Huh?" Yu Deng reached out in confusion. "What’s going on?"

"No rush."

Cheng Zhaolin waved away the encroaching black mist. The appearance of the mansion reappeared before Yu Deng, while those from the Cheng family had been driven into a corner by the mist, looking at them in terror. They were the villains about to face judgment; they were the executioners of the past.

Yu Deng watched for a few seconds and whispered: "Are there... any innocent people among them?"

Cheng Zhaolin glanced sideways, understanding Yu Deng’s meaning. He opened the mansion gates, and the black mist ushered the few unrelated individuals away.

The butler looked back at the intimate pair—one man, one spirit—and stepped firmly into the darkness. Cheng Zhaolin nodded to the butler, explaining to Yu Deng: "Butler Dong was once my subordinate. He didn't have an easy life later on, so I lent him a bit of my power."

Yu Deng said "oh." No wonder Uncle Butler had been so intimidating on the first day of the instance.

On the other side, Lin Zhiyue also understood Cheng Zhaolin’s intent. She bowed to Cheng Zhaolin and Yu Deng one last time before voluntarily stepping into the darkness, her figure fading bit by bit.

Yu Deng looked at Miss Lin’s retreating back: "Wait? Miss Lin, she..."

"Don't worry, she has wanted to leave for a long time."

Cheng Zhaolin gently kissed Yu Deng’s cheek. The black mist expanded to its limit, resembling burning black flames.

"My spouse, you only need to stop me."

Yu Deng: "?" Huh?

The black mist had already spread in all directions, instantly searing and corroding every obstacle in its path as the black flames ignited into a wildfire.

Yu Deng stood stunned for a few seconds before finally catching on to Cheng Zhaolin’s rhythm.

Oh, so that’s how it is!

Yu Deng acted clumsily, grabbing the evil spirit’s sleeve, his voice anxious while his eyes sparkled: "You, you must stop immediately!"

The evil spirit agreed with his words, but the very next second, the mansion collapsed with a roar, turning into ruins.

As time passed since breaking the seal, Cheng Zhaolin’s control over the instance grew stronger and stronger. Had it not been for the constraints of the system and the instance itself, he would have long since become like a god.

The black mist tore through everything in sight. The Cheng family members fled in all directions.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, brother! I shouldn't have been blinded by greed to harm you, nor should I have let Wenhao bully Zhiyue... ah!" Cheng Zhaoxia screamed in a breakdown, but her mutated body soon ignited, turning into ash.

Cheng Zhaolin felt no desire to listen to the hypocritical repentance and pleas of the Cheng family, the sound of collapsing structures ringing incessantly in his ears.

Yu Deng’s eyes were bright as he watched every building within the mansion grounds turn to rubble.

It actually felt quite satisfying.

The only one unhappy now was probably the Main System.

【...】The Main System detected abnormal fluctuations and hurried over, only to see the scene. Its electronic voice spiked several octaves: 【Player Yu Deng, why did you not complete the mission!?】

Why would you let the evil spirit wreak havoc on the instance!!

Yu Deng retorted, quite displeased: "I was doing the mission, didn't you see? I even risked my life to stop him."

【But...】The Main System looked at the space, which no longer resembled its original form, and nearly crashed.

"Cheng Zhaolin promised me he would be sealed!" Yu Deng pointed to the ruins before him. "And the foundation is still here, isn't it? The instance is very powerful, isn't it? It can pull us into instances whenever it wants, so it can surely rebuild this place just as easily, right?"

Having finished his angry retort, Yu Deng applauded himself inwardly.

Wow, it was rare for him to be so sharp-tongued.

Main System: 【...】

The Main System had grievances it could not voice and left in a foul mood, turning into chaotic code.

The Cheng family mansion was completely reduced to ruins. At least for this moment, the crimes that had repeated over and over were brought to an end.

Yu Deng let out a sigh... His mission should be complete, right? Did that mean he could leave?

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Yu Deng heard another intermittent electronic voice.

【Beep... beep... Unknown abnormality detected. Player Yu Deng is being detained.】

Eh? Yu Deng quickly tried to call 01, but received no response.

What is going on...

"My spouse clearly promised to stay with me, and yet you want to leave after such a short time. You are not allowed to go," the evil spirit whispered in Yu Deng’s ear. "Don't leave..."

Yu Deng’s eyes turned red with anxiety: "I can't stay!"

"My spouse, there is nothing left here, only you and me," Cheng Zhaolin waved away the flames, standing lonely in the ruins as he pleaded. "Stay with me for a while longer."

Yu Deng tugged at his hem, nervous and at a loss: "Then how do you want me to stay with you..."

Cheng Zhaolin said without hesitation: "Let's go through the ceremony, my spouse. Let me marry you one more time."

Yu Deng hesitated.

"Just take pity on me, won't you?"

When they were first joined as spouses, it was merely as a cover for those conspiracies; there was no wedding, no blessings, and the two had not even met. Later, after being killed by his own family, Yu Deng became a widower, and the relationship between them had lost its original validity.

Cheng Zhaolin had always harbored a grudge about this.

The evil spirit coaxed him patiently: "It will be very quick, just a simple bow to each other." The evil spirit closed his eyes, telling himself, "Just treat it as playing along with me, my treasure."

Really...? But his identity in the instance was role-playing anyway...

Yu Deng struggled for a while, but was ultimately persuaded by Cheng Zhaolin’s sincere plea: "Alright then, let's bow."

Facing a large dog that acted weak and pitiful like this, Yu Deng could never harden his heart.

Cheng Zhaolin tested the waters, pushing his luck, revealing the greedy longing of an evil spirit step by step, and then added:

"My spouse seemed to have worn a qipao in front of that scoundrel; it must have looked beautiful. It's a pity I never saw it."

Yu Deng: "Hmm?"

"Let me see it, my spouse."

...

Yu Deng eventually gave in to the evil spirit’s repeated requests and changed into a bright red wedding gown. He stood quietly in the ruins, his features exquisite and gorgeous, possessing a breathtaking beauty.

The black mist constructed a platform for the ceremony.

There was still the smell of smoke in the air, black mist permeated everything, and the world was so desolate, yet restless.

Yu Deng did not wear a bridal veil. Clumsily, under Cheng Zhaolin’s guidance, he bowed to the evil spirit, completing an incomplete wedding ceremony.

The evil spirit was satisfied: "Good, my spouse is mine again."

Thick mist swirled, and the ceremonial platform vanished, replaced by a spacious bedroom, just like the one Cheng Zhaolin had conjured on the day he broke the seal. Only this time, the bedding was no longer of a dim color, but a fitting red.

Yu Deng was placed in the center. The bright red wedding quilt and gown made Yu Deng look even paler. He lay back on the bed, dark hair and snow-white skin contrasting with his rosy lips, creating an extreme visual impact.

Cheng Zhaolin wrapped his arms around Yu Deng’s waist, gazing at him with obsession, and kissed him skillfully.

Their lips collided and fused, and Yu Deng’s soft tongue was licked and teased, his lips quickly becoming wet and glistening.

Yu Deng was kissed into a daze, asking a beat too late: "What are you doing? I already let you marry me once..."

The evil spirit finally revealed his true purpose: "So, it is time for our wedding night, my spouse."