Chapter 82: My attempt to win over Xie Hanwei failed. You must wait for me to come back...

Mingjian saw the scene before him begin to sway and blur; Xiao Bumian's face seemed to be seen through a layer of mist, making it difficult to discern clearly.

The noise from the wonton shop and the drumming on the street faded away instantly, leaving only the heavy, slow, and heart-pounding thumping of one's own heart in one's chest.

He subconsciously raised his hand to wipe it, but his fingertips touched something warm and sticky.

"Mingjian—!"

Xiao Bumian's voice seemed to come from a very distant place, filled with unprecedented panic and a despair on the verge of collapse.

This was the first time Ming had ever seen him so flustered. He forced a smile, trying to reassure him that everything was alright.

He saw Xiao Bumian rushing over and initially thought he was making a mountain out of a molehill, but in the next instant, an irresistible feeling of weakness overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. All his strength was instantly drained, his vision went black, and he slumped softly into Xiao Bumian's arms.

Xiao Bumian had a faint, very fragrant crabapple scent about him, and Mingjian felt as if he were hugging a crabapple tree.

He was really reluctant to part with it.

The system was sobbing uncontrollably within Mingjian's consciousness.

For the past month, both it and Mingjian have tacitly avoided mentioning the unfinished storyline. However, Mingjian's health is getting weaker day by day, and they know that day will come eventually, it's just a matter of sooner or later.

"Mingjian, you can't die..." Xiao Bumian's face was ashen. He held the weak person in his arms tightly, feeling the life force rapidly draining away. As he watched Mingjian grow weaker and weaker, panic surged through him like a tide, and even his hands holding Mingjian trembled slightly.

Mingjian wanted to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, an uncontrollable itch surged up in his throat. He coughed lightly, and more blood gushed from his lips like a burst dam, staining his chin and clothes red.

Xiao Bumian hurriedly used his plain white clothes to wipe Mingjian's face. He was always very clean and had a slight obsession with cleanliness, but at this moment he didn't care at all.

The glaring crimson, like red plum blossoms suddenly blooming in the snow, fell in scattered spots onto his clothes, a startling sight.

"You...you shouldn't be sad." Mingjian managed to utter a few words, and seeing Xiao Bumian's appearance, her own tears fell uncontrollably.

He had promised to go to the Flower Festival in the human world with Xiao Bumian next spring, and then go boating when summer came and there were more stars. But now he's going to break his promise.

Outside the shop, the drums of prayer continued to beat loudly and enthusiastically, snow fell heavily, and occasionally the joyful cheers of the demons could be heard.

The people in the wonton shop had already been drawn out by the excitement outside and ran out to watch the prayer procession, leaving the shop empty.

Compared to the hustle and bustle, he and Xiao Bumian were quite lonely here.

If he were to die, given Xiao Bumian's personality, Mingjian was very afraid that he might do something foolish.

In a daze, Mingjian remembered a time when he was young and was practicing with his master on the mountain. At that time, he found a stray puppy. The puppy was extremely friendly. Mingjian only needed to gently touch its head, and it would wag its tail and happily follow him around all day.

The longer it went on, the more Mingjian liked the puppy.

He built a warm little home for it himself and watched it grow from a skinny little thing to two years old, becoming strong and lively.

Later, the puppy got sick and couldn't be saved.

Mingjian cried his heart out, but his master only sighed. He patted Mingjian's head and said in a comforting tone, "You will face more and more separations in the future. In a few years, your master will also leave you. What will you do then, little Mingjian?"

Young Mingjian hugged his master's neck tightly, buried his tear-streaked face in his master's arms, and sobbed, "Master, I'm sad, very sad, very sad."

He even thought that if his master were gone, he wouldn't want to live alone.

His master, however, seemed to see through all his thoughts, smiled gently, and said softly, "Silly child. Those who have left are gone, but those who remain must live well. Otherwise, those who left will be unhappy to know."

"But... but what if I'm sad?" Little Mingjian tilted her head back, her eyes round and bright, now covered with a thin layer of mist, making them look hazy and making one's heart melt.

The master's voice was gentle as the wind, "It's natural to feel sad at first, but as time goes by, you'll gradually feel less sad."

"Time is moving too slowly," Xiaoming said, his lips trembling and his voice trembling with tears.

He didn't want to be sad for a very long time. He wished time could pass quickly so that he could reach a point where he wasn't sad anymore.

Upon hearing this, the master chuckled softly, his eyes filled with pity. "Then let's divide our sadness into many, many parts, and be a little sad every day, okay?"

Divided into many, many parts.

So after the puppy died, whenever Mingjian felt sad, he would tell himself that he could only be sad a little bit today.

Gradually, he really stopped being so sad.

Master is right. All intense sorrow seems to fade away gradually with time, until it disappears completely.

Later, his master also passed away, and Mingjian lived like this, only feeling a little sad each day, for many, many years.

He thought that if he died, Xiao Bumian would definitely be very sad.

Everyone here has someone with them. Xiao Bumian originally had one too, but he was about to die.

If he dies, Xiao Bumian will not only be all alone, but will also have to hold his gradually cooling body... Just thinking about it makes Xiao Bumian feel so pitiful, so pitiful.

"Xie Hanwei," Mingjian called out softly.

No one will call Xiao Bumian Xie Hanwei anymore. Mingjian wants to call him that one more time, to etch his name into his very bones.

He raised his hand with difficulty, his well-defined fingertips, cool to the touch, and gently rested on Xiao Bumian's tear-streaked face.

Mingjian's eyes were filled with endless pity and sorrow, and his voice was weak but clear: "At first... I really disliked you, you had such a bad temper..."

At that time, Xiao Bumian even wanted to kill him.

Even now, Mingjian still feels a little angry when he thinks back on it.

“Then I thought, if I could make a wish in the future,” Mingjian paused for a moment, his breath growing weaker and weaker. He looked at Xiao Bumian’s eyes, which were filled with despair, and his own heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, aching and painful, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Xiao Bumian was completely dazed, his mind blank. He couldn't quite hear what Mingjian was saying, but he could clearly sense that Mingjian's life was rapidly slipping away and that he was about to leave him.

He wanted to ask Mingjian to stop talking, he wanted to say that there must be a way... but it turns out that when the heart hurts to a certain extent, you can't even utter a single word.

Seeing his voice lower, Ming looked at Xiao Bumian and smiled, saying, "I want to make a wish... that you don't remember me, so I can stay far away from you..."

Xiao Bumian quickly bent down and pressed his face against Mingjian's.

No, he won't forget Mingjian.

He only has Mingjian left. If even Mingjian leaves him, what will he do in the future?

Mingjian seemed to sense his resistance, and laughed very softly, her voice barely a whisper, "But I don't want to, and I don't want to. I like you so much, and if you never remember me again in the future, I will be sad..."

Loving someone is selfish. Even if he can't come back, he still wants Xiao Bumian to remember him. To remember that there was once someone who loved him so wholeheartedly.

Xiao Bumian is a demon, and his cultivation is so profound that he can live for a very, very long time, perhaps thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Perhaps with the passage of time, he will gradually forget how much he once loved Mingjian, but as long as he still remembers him, Mingjian will be happy.

He gently rubbed the corner of Xiao Bumian's moist eyes with his fingertip and whispered, "So you won't be too sad. You can be like me, only a little bit sad every day, okay?"

You don't need to forget him; just remember to like him more each day than you did yesterday.

Mingjian's gaze gradually became unfocused, and he slowly closed his eyes, his last bit of strength draining away.

Before he was completely engulfed in darkness, he calmly spoke to the system in his consciousness, which was crying so hard it was almost crashing: "You once promised me a wish."

The system certainly remembers. Although Mingjian's later tasks were deemed incomplete, the main system will not reclaim the rewards already issued.

[Host...] The system's electronic voice had a heavy nasal tone, [What kind of wish do you desire...?]

It had considered using this wish to save Mingjian's life, but its authority was too low to reverse life and death.

Mingjian had asked before, and after receiving a negative answer, he remained silent for a long time.

He hadn't decided what he wanted before, but in the past few days he'd had a vague idea in mind.

Therefore, he did not hesitate much, "Tell Xiao Bumian to stop loving me."

Mingjian only needed him to remember him.

The system paused, then asked again to confirm: "Host, are you sure?"

Mingjian nodded, "Confirmed."

After a long silence, the system said: "Alright. But host, I must tell you, I cannot directly erase or control Xiao Bumian's feelings; that's a privilege reserved for the main system. I can only temporarily seal away all his love for you. Moreover, this sealing is not permanent; every month thereafter, Xiao Bumian's affection for you will automatically increase by one point. Even so… do you still want it?"

Mingjian was not surprised by this. Over the past two months, he had already figured out the boundaries of the system's capabilities.

He even quickly calculated in his mind that if he only gained one point of favorability each month, it would take at least eight years for Xiao Bumian to recover to her current 99% level.

The system had been saying from the beginning that it was a fake death. Mingjian didn't think the main system was heartless. They had inexplicably bound him to the system in the first place, and there were no rewards for it. Now, they were telling him to die, and he had to die? That didn't make sense.

So Mingjian had a vague feeling that he would only be away for a while, and that he would be back soon.

But this is just his own opinion; he's really gambling now.

He gambled that he would be able to access the main system with higher privileges, and that he wouldn't actually die.

If Xiao Bumian's feelings for her were sealed away, and she returned before his affection for her slowly recovered to a critical point, then perhaps Xiao Bumian wouldn't have experienced such heart-wrenching pain.

As Mingjian pondered, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

He's so tired.

But... what if? What if he loses the bet and really can't come back?

What should we do about Xiao Bumian?

"I...I won't die." Mingjian's voice gradually weakened, carrying a final promise and lingering affection, "Xie Hanwei...you must wait for me to come back..."

The hand that had been gently stroking Xiao Bumian's cheek finally lost all its strength and fell limply to the ground.

Xiao Bumian froze, his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and intense pain and a suffocating sensation choked his throat, rendering him unable to utter a sound.

He acted as if he had gone mad, grabbing Mingjian's drooping hand and pressing it back against his cheek.

Outside the shop, a large crowd of demons prayed for favorable weather and abundant harvests in the coming year.

Xiao Bumian felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

No, no, no!

Just then, Xiao Bumian heard a voice suddenly appear in his mind.

The voice abruptly entered his mind.

[The villain's redemption value is 100%. Congratulations, host, on completing the conquest mission.]

[The villain's redemption value is increasing; villain's redemption value is 140%, 160%, and so on...]

[Rewards are being distributed. Villain's favorability rating is currently frozen and cannot be estimated.]

[Affection level is currently frozen; affection level is 100%]

[99% Favorability Rating]

[...]

Xiao Bumian didn't know what this was, but he instinctively repelled it. He looked at Mingjian, who was lifeless in his arms, with despair and opened his mouth.

A broken sound finally escaped from his throat.

“No, Mingjian,” Xiao Bumian’s tears fell one by one, “You can’t do this to me.”

Ninety percent

80%

As the cold voice in his mind began to count, Xiao Bumian tightened his grip on Mingjian's arm, and panic spread like wildfire.

"You can't do this to me, why..."

Xiao Bumian asked, "Why are you taking back even my feelings for you?"

He clearly already knows how to love.

“If you die,” Xiao Bumian’s voice lowered, so soft it was almost a whisper, yet it carried a chilling obsession, “I will drag everyone down with me.”

Finally, the sound stopped at one percent.

Xiao Bumian remained silent for a long time.

He simply lowered his eyes, slowly, very slowly, and gently pressed his cheek against Mingjian's heart, which had already stopped beating. There was no sound; it was so quiet.

He could clearly recall all the past events related to Mingjian, every detail was still vivid in his mind.

The only thing I can't figure out is...

Why am I crying?

Did he like this person a lot before?

He forgot.

My heart feels empty, as if a large part of it has been ripped out.

The sky gradually darkened, and this winter was as cold as ever.

The heavy snow continued to fall, and the previous hustle and bustle had long since dissipated. On the street, a man dressed in plain white clothes held a person wearing a thick fox fur cloak tightly in his arms, walking slowly, step by step.

Occasionally, passersby would glance at the two of them.

But I only glanced at it.

No one knew that the person the man in the plain white clothes was carefully holding in his arms had already stopped breathing, and his body was gradually becoming cold and stiff.

...

Xiao Bumian still became the Demon Lord.

Time passed day by day.

Xiao Bumian heard that voice in his mind again one day, though he didn't know when.

[Favorability rating: 2%]

Two percent?

Xiao Bumian remained silent. He didn't know what was going on in his mind, but it seemed to be related to Mingjian, so he didn't pay any attention to it.

Sometimes, the voice would mutter things about Mingjian to itself.

for example,

Why hasn't Mingjian returned yet?

[Waaaaah, why can't I go back either?]

[Mingjian isn't back yet, I'm so bored to death inside Xiao Bumian's consciousness! Why can't he hear me?]

Xiao Bumian didn't care about it. He could hear it, but he just didn't want to pay attention to it.

A year later, Xiao Bumian's favorability rating had reached twelve percent.

That winter, Xiao Bumian had an unprecedented dream.

In the dream, Mingjian asked him when he would remember him.

Xiao Bumian woke up with a start, a strange feeling that was hard to describe welling up inside him.

He found it strange. He always remembered Mingjian, but it was as if a thin veil covered it. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to like him.

However, he thought that if Mingjian were in front of him right now, he would definitely want Mingjian to be his cat.

The following winter, by which time Mingjian had been gone for two years.

One morning, snow began to fall heavily again in the main city of the Demon Realm.

The Demon Clan Right Envoy following behind Xiao Bumian said that today is the Wanchao Festival, and all demons will be praying and making wishes.

"Your Majesty, if you have any wishes, you can speak to the Demon God, and it will grant them for you."

After the Right Envoy finished speaking, he found it somewhat amusing. The man before him was the Demon Lord, whose strength was unfathomable. Whatever the Demon Lord wanted, he could obtain it himself. Why should he pray to that ethereal Demon God?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bumian paused slightly and remained silent for a long time.

He was thinking that he seemed to have made a wish a long time ago.

But so much time has passed that he has forgotten.

The Demon Palace is not cold in winter. These demon subjects know that their new Demon Lord is different from ordinary demons, as he does not possess a soul fire to resist the cold. Therefore, every corner of the Demon Palace is perpetually filled with ghostly blue flames to maintain a suitable temperature.

Xiao Bumian seemed to be in a good mood today, so he drank a few cups of wine with his demon subjects.

On his way back, he dismissed the demon messengers behind him and walked alone through the snow back to the empty and silent palace.

When he pushed open the door, he saw that the plum blossoms outside the palace had actually bloomed.

He paused and looked at it, then suddenly remembered that one winter, Mingjian had broken off a plum blossom for him, saying that he wanted him to use the plum blossom to adorn his hair.

That winter was just like this one, unbearably cold.

Mingjian tilted his head, smiled, and asked, "Xie Hanwei, Xie Hanwei, today is the Wanchao Festival. What would you like to pray for?"

Xiao Bumian smiled but didn't say anything.

Oh right, back then he thought he wanted to be with Mingjian forever.

It felt as if a huge gash had been ripped open in my heart, and a biting, icy wind rushed in, bringing with it a sharp, intense pain.

Those emotions that had been forcibly sealed away for two years surged forth like a flood, washing over his entire body and causing him so much pain that he could barely stand up straight.

Xiao Bumian finally realized what it felt like to like Mingjian.

That sharp voice echoed in my mind again.

[Warning! Abnormal emotional fluctuations detected]

[The villain's favorability rating is being recalculated... it cannot be calculated yet!]

[The villain's redemption value drops drastically! -1000... -5000... -10000+]

[Strategy failed]