Page 21
Page 21
The vengeful spirit bowed his head at the foot of the mountain: "My name is Yamashita Daichi."
"Alright, Mr. Yamashita, I'd like to put the matter of performing the ritual for your soul on hold for now, what do you say?"
The man at the foot of the mountain of vengeful spirits looked up in a panic: "What? Lord Ren, is it possible that someone like me cannot be saved by you?"
Dou Tang shook his head and said, "That's not the reason. It's just that you're more useful to me in your current state. So, if you don't mind, I hope to purify you a little later."
The spirit descended from the mountain, intrigued, and leaned forward, saying, "What does Your Majesty wish me to do? Kill someone? Or something else? Any task is acceptable, as long as I can accomplish it!"
"Uh, no, no, no, I don't need you to kill anyone. Instead, I need an unpurified vengeful spirit to prove some of my theories. Of course, the choice is yours."
"Of course!" The man at the foot of the Wraith Mountain nodded hastily, "You...you may not be able to..."
The French understand my feelings, but for me, for a soldier, this is what I've been waiting for for decades!
He gently patted his chest: "As a soldier, what I crave is orders and goals. If you believe I am capable of this position, then I will certainly obey!"
This person hypnotized themselves into becoming a loyal dog through self-delusion...
Dou Tang felt somewhat helpless, but the current situation was actually quite good for him.
"Alright then, you can stay in this world for now. No need for purification. Come on, I'll take you to the Paradise World."
Dou Tang stood up and reached his hand towards the foot of the Vengeful Spirit Mountain.
Upon hearing this, Wanling Mountain immediately stood up, grasped Dou Tang's hands tightly, shook them, and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your help!"
Dou Tang was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Why are you holding my hand?"
"Eh? Wasn't it you who extended your hand to shake mine?"
Dou Tang paused for a moment, then said helplessly, "No... never mind, you can go now!"
After saying that, the two-meter-tall jelly-like figure swung its arms vigorously, pulling the figure from the foot of the Wraith Mountain into the air! Then it was thrown out like a discus!
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" screamed from the foot of the Wraith Mountain, flying directly into the sea of milkshakes. Dou Tang then strode forward and jumped in as well.
"Pfft..."
The thick milkshake enveloped their bodies. At this moment, since most of the vengeful spirits in the Milkshake Ocean had been used to make the Wolf Head Set, the ocean was empty, with only a black lump of flesh floating up and down in the distance.
This time, Milkshake Ocean did not purify the area beneath the Mountain of Vengeful Spirits, but instead allowed it to sink continuously until it finally emerged from the ocean with Dou Tang and gently landed on the ground of the amusement park.
He slowly climbed up from the foot of the Mountain of Vengeful Spirits, looking in astonishment at this world that was even more unfamiliar than the race track.
"Ren Jun... is this... is this your Yellow Springs?"
At this moment, several jelly bean characters gathered around, emitting bursts of whimpering laughter, and stared at this strange vengeful spirit that was not a jelly bean.
"All the evil spirits I have purified will exist here in the form of jelly beans, without distinction of rank or status, enjoying only the most primal and simple joy."
Dou Tang pointed into the distance: "That's why I like to call this place Paradise. This is the paradise I prepared for evil spirits. Down the mountain, although you haven't been purified yet, I still hope you can find your own happiness here."
He nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
"I'll come here and call you when I need you again."
“Yes… I understand, Lord Ren. Please rest assured, I will await your orders at any time.” The man from Yuanling Mountain turned around and gave a military salute.
Dou Tang waved his hand: "Stop. Getting here means you've crossed the Bridge of Helplessness. You must let go of your past identity in the mortal world, understand?"
"Here, there are no military salutes, no national borders, no red tape, understand?"
He sheepishly withdrew his hand from the foot of the resentful mountain and responded with a sound of agreement.
"understood."
Seeing his response, Dou Tang nodded.
"That's settled then. You can try to fit in here. I'm leaving now."
The man at the foot of the mountain asked curiously, "What are you going to do?"
Dou Tang responded straightforwardly: "I'm cooking for Huaiyin, and today I'm taking her out shopping."
……ah?
This towering jelly bean-like figure, terrifying like a walking hell, controls the underworld capable of purifying evil spirits, yet he's busy cooking for someone.
Before the people below the Resentful Spirit Mountain could react, Dou Tang's figure had already turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared.
All that's left in Fall Guys Land is the foot of Ghost Mountain... and a large group of Fall Guys surrounding him.
The various Fall Bean characters were all huddled together, pushing and shoving each other, all wanting to see what the guy who was completely different from the Fall Bean looked like. The scene was chaotic.
Surrounded by a crowd at the foot of the Mountain of Resentful Spirits, they suffered unspeakable misery.
Finally, unable to bear the annoyance any longer, he crawled away through the gaps between the Bean People's feet and ran towards the nearest amusement facility, which looked like an open-top train. This piqued his curiosity, especially since the tracks of this open-top train were twisted and winding, going up and down.
He boarded the roller coaster, and puzzled as he fastened his seatbelt, the seatbelt meant to restrain the Fall Guys seemed too big for him.
As the roller coaster slowly started and climbed, he gradually saw the scenery of Fall Guys Land.
Countless unique amusement rides stretched to the horizon, making it impossible to discern the true size of the entire park. Perhaps... this place was infinitely large?
While they were still marveling at the vastness of this world, they sensed something was amiss at the foot of Mount Yuanling.
Why did it stop?
Two seconds later, this Showa-era veteran experienced his first roller coaster ride in his life... his first time in the afterlife.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah!"
The piercing screams sounded like someone's worldview had been completely shattered.
Chapter 39: Sometimes Heart-wrenching Pain, Sometimes Unforgettable Tenderness
When Huaiyin woke up and opened her eyes, she heard the sizzling sound of something being fried.
"Mmm..." she murmured dreamily, rubbed her eyes, turned over, and lay on the floor looking out at the open kitchen.
Dou Tang was wearing an apron and cooking with a nonchalant expression, her movements skillful.
"Awake? Go wash up, I'll bring you today..."
"Why don't you go play in Ikebukuro?" he said softly, standing behind the stove.
Upon hearing this, Huaiyin immediately raised her little head and widened her eyes.
"Take me out to play?"
Dou Tang smiled gently, but his hands didn't stop moving as he slowly sliced the fish cake. At the same time, he said, "Of course. The website has been doing very well lately, and I'm not under any pressure in my daily life. I just got 300,000 yen from Lu Zizhen. How about I splurge a little today?"
Huaiyin first made a nasal sound as if to agree, but then shook her head vigorously, brushed her messy hair aside, and said, "No... let's not. Brother has to spend money every time he goes out, so we can't just spend it recklessly."
"Spending money on you is not considered wasteful spending."
Dou Tang carefully cut the squid into decorative patterns, saying, "Besides, I'm just providing you with the expenses your parents and brother should have, it has nothing to do with my schedule."
These words made Huaiyin, who had just been feeling happy, tremble and lower her head.
Dou Tang didn't care about her feelings at all, and always spoke to her when she needed security the most, telling her time and time again that he had nothing.
"Can't you...can't you be my brother?"
Dou Tang paused for a moment before continuing to cut the squid roll in his hand.
"I will always be your brother until the Crown game is over."
The atmosphere changed, transforming from the warm family atmosphere of the early morning into a chilling seriousness.
Upon hearing this answer, Huaiyin knelt on the ground, clutching the blanket weakly. After a long while, she asked, "Will you kill me?"
Dou Tang raised his head, his eyes still clear, but behind them, there seemed to be a hint of reluctance. He felt something was wrong just by looking at Huai Yin, and quickly lowered his head.
"If I have no other choice, I think I will."
He told a lie.
Huaiyin bit her lower lip hard as she looked at the man who was more virtuous and attentive to her than her brother, yet he was not her brother at all.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she said, "I want to learn kendo."
"This is a good thing," Dou Tang said, feigning composure.
"Then I will defeat you, I will survive you, and then, and then..."
Dou Tang chimed in, "And then you turned around and killed me?"
The atmosphere was somewhat solidified.
Dou Tang's knife stopped, hovering in mid-air, with only the bubbling sound of the soup pot filling the room.
Huaiyin clutched the blanket, even making a faint squeaking sound.
"I...I don't know."
“If that day ever comes,” Dou Tang continued, his voice trembling slightly, “you can kill me all you want. I’m not your brother, nor am I family. I’m just a monster who has taken over your brother’s body… understand?”
Huaiyin sniffed, didn't reply, stood up quickly in a huff, wiped her eyes and went into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
Dou Tang looked up. He wanted to make Huaiyin a hearty breakfast, but he used too many onions, and his eyes stung, making him feel like crying.
He waited until his emotions calmed down and he felt he wouldn't embarrass himself before saying, "There's another older sister here today, she's a classmate of mine, and she's a relatively unknown idol."
He stiffly and forcefully changed the subject, and Huaiyin, like him, didn't want to continue the somewhat tense and sad topic from before. Her voice came from the bathroom.
"Really? What's that lady's name? Is she pretty?"
Dou Tang hesitated for a moment, then frowned and said, "I guess so. I've never been picky about looks, so I can't really say whether she's beautiful or ugly. But her outfit is quite fashionable, rather... rather sexy?"
Huaiyin stammered while brushing her teeth, "Like Sister Lu?"
"No, no, no." Dou Tang quickly denied: "She... how should I put it, she's much simpler and easier to understand than Lu Zizhen, you know, she suspected I was a Bean Man before, and without even thinking, she used an exorcism talisman to stick it on me."
The sound of Huaiyin spitting water came from the bathroom, and then he said, "Sounds like a really annoying guy."
"Why?" Dou Tang put the remaining ingredients into the pot, then divided the stir-fried mixed vegetables into two bowls, and added a half-cooked, sterile onsen egg.
"She doesn't know you well, and yet she acted so rudely just because she suspected you. Doesn't that prove she's annoying and stupid?"
Dou Tang chuckled to himself.
“I think she’s behaving like a normal person. After all, it was really a coincidence that I met her twice before. Maybe she thought I was being watched, so it’s normal for her to be suspicious.”
After washing up, Huaiyin walked out of the bathroom with a simple orange-yellow hair clip on her forehead and said, "Okay... can you help me tie my hair?"
Dou Tang washed his hands, dried them with a kitchen paper, and then asked, "What kind of design should I get?"
"I'll do whatever you say." Huaiyin knelt on the ground, her back to Doutang.
Dou Tang picked up a hair tie, gathered her loose hair with his hands, and slowly combed it neatly, then lifted it upwards.
Huaiyin's slender and delicate nape came into view, the concave line in the middle of her nape proving the perfection of her body, softening Dou Tang's heart in the light filtering through the curtain gaps.
Slender and petite, endearing and lovable, this is the first and deepest impression Huaiyin gives.
Huaiyin's development was not good; staying at home for long periods made her pale, lack of exercise made her physically weak, and she suffered from mental anguish from time to time.
Her condition made her appear sickly and weak.
Gently tying her hair into a simple ponytail, Dou Tang said, "How about I buy you some new hair clips today?"
"Mm," Huaiyin replied, bowing her head slightly.
The two quickly returned to their normal routine, a situation that often occurs.
They keep their distance from each other out of fear, yet at the same time, they want to push each other away while trying to get closer.
Unable to leave yet wanting to go, Dou Tang tells her to kill him while searching for a way to save her.
Huaiyin, on the one hand, wanted to get closer to this mysterious older brother, and on the other hand, she was afraid that she would get hurt further, because Doutang never gave her the desires she wanted.
"Go change your clothes," he said softly, his tone unusually gentle, perhaps realizing that his previous words had been too hurtful.
"Help me pick out an outfit to wear when I meet strangers. I want to wear what you pick out... I don't know how to pick out clothes."
Huaiyin's nape slowly turned red.
"Ah."
He agreed.
Chapter 40 Ikebukuro
Tokyo is a chaotic city that exists beneath an orderly facade, yet is rife with absurdity and romance.
It's absurd that you can find people here dressed in any clothes from anywhere. 1400 million people live in this city, which is like a wildfire in the night, scorching the entire starry sky and attracting countless fireflies.
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