Chapter 139, Chapter 40: The Lost Manor

Following the confession template provided by Cheng Yuzhou, Wang An'an performed a baptism before the goddess and obtained the Hera card.

There was no shortage of Hera within the territory, so Cheng Yuzhou didn't need to give any instructions. Upon seeing the Hera, people understood Cheng Yuzhou's meaning: he wanted them to take care of Wang An'an.

Otherwise, Wang An'an, who knows nothing, will either have her baptism delayed, or she will end up like the ride-hailing driver who came in with her, receiving an Ares.

After the Mass ended, Li Yufei took Wang An'an's arm and went out to familiarize themselves with the place and people.

Cheng Yuzhou asked if he could come along, but was unsurprisingly refused.

Wang An'an had just received her "Covenant," and as the two walked, Li Yufei taught her the various modules of the "Covenant."

“Look, after your baptism, you have a ‘1’ here.” She pointed to the number on the gold rose pattern inside the cover.

"So this is equivalent to me having one dollar?" Wang An'an asked. "Then what is the gray '1' next to it?"

“Faith points are divided into gold faith and gray faith,” Li Yufei explained. “Gold faith is the total faith points you have ever earned. Unless you break the rules, slack off in the holy war, or buy something very special, it will generally not be deducted.”

"Gray faith is the actual balance in your account. Most places where you spend money, such as eating, drinking, sleeping, etc., will deduct gray faith."

"Sister Yufei, how many faith points do you have?" Wang An'an asked curiously.

Li Yufei opened her copy of "The Covenant" to show her.

Her stats are quite impressive: 3515 for gold and 3389 for gray, which are basically the same.

"Sister, are you really that frugal?!" Wang An'an exclaimed in shock. "You eat the holy food offered at Mass three times a day and never spend any extra money?"

“No, that’s not it,” Li Yufei said. “There were very few ways to earn faith points at the beginning, so Cheng Yuzhou and I agreed that mine would be my retirement fund, which I would only save and not use, while he would use his for daily expenses.”

“You’re thinking of using him to support your retirement?” Wang An’an blinked. “You’re already thinking about using him to support your retirement? Didn’t you tell me that you’d only date a guy for two years at most?”

Recognizing her own past words, Li Yufei wasn't embarrassed or annoyed. She openly admitted, "He's different. Some men will make you cry if you just casually play around with them."

"Hahaha, what's that?"

After passing through the castle courtyard, four tall security guards stood at the gate. Upon seeing Li Yufei, they greeted her and asked if she needed an escort.

Li Yufei also refused, and led Wang An'an a little further ahead, where they saw a bus stop in the distance.

Four buses were already parked there, and people were queuing up in front of each bus.

Wang An'an looked around curiously. A female driver wearing a hat walked out of the castle, took out her car keys, and got into the driver's seat of a bus.

The driver opened the car door, and the others filed in. Li Yufei and Wang An'an also got in.

We stayed in a castle, but had to take the bus.

The bus is currently the only four-wheeled vehicle in the manor.

Wang An'an was pondering the value of faith points when she got into the car and quietly asked Li Yufei, "Sister Yufei, how many faith points can a driver earn each day?"

If there are many, she'll become a driver too.

"Normally it should be 1 o'clock."

"Are there any other abnormal situations?"

Li Yufei explained to her from the beginning: "There are three Masses a day. These drivers earn faith points by picking up and dropping off believers. They take five routes, passing through several residential areas, dropping people off at five different churches, and then going in to attend Mass themselves. After Mass ends, they come out and take the others back to their residential areas."

"If you make three round trips a day and fill all the slots, you'll get 1 Faith Point. If you're late or absent, you'll lose all your Faith Points for the day."

"So the bus only runs during Mass?" Wang An'an frowned. "That's not right. When I came yesterday, it wasn't even Mass yet, and there were still buses running."

"Because there is a need for transportation at other times besides Mass, we discussed with these drivers about adding a few more shifts."

“Driving at other times is unrelated to the goddess and you won’t get faith points. This part of the work will be settled once a month, and their wages will be calculated at 1 faith point per day, which will be paid by us.”

"But aren't faith points non-tradable?"

“Yes, we will keep track of their expenses, and then all their spending will be charged to Cheng Yuzhou’s account,” Li Yufei said. “Many jobs here are paid this way. There aren’t many jobs that directly earn faith points, but many things still need to be done by people, and nobody wants to work for free.”

Wang An'an did the math: "Each car can generate 1 point of income for my brother-in-law every day, but he has to pay 1 point of wages for each car every day. Doesn't that mean he doesn't earn anything?"

The elderly man in the front row who had been listening to their conversation turned around and said with a smile, "That's why we say Mr. Cheng is a good person. Everyone is willing to follow him."

Li Yufei shrugged. "None of the public works projects he manages are profitable."

Even if Cheng Yuzhou returned all his profits to the driver, in Wang An'an's opinion, a daily wage of 2 faith points was still far too little.

Upon arriving in the commercial district, she kept asking Li Yufei about the salaries for various jobs and found that they were generally very low.

Wang An'an couldn't help but ask, "Sister Yufei, how do you earn faith points?"

Li Yufei raised an eyebrow. "Don't even think about my job."

"Why?"

“I already told you, if we win the holy war, we’ll have a victory ball,” Li Yufei said. “If we win three consecutive holy wars, we’ll have Psyche Day.”

Psyche?

"It's a celebration more grand than an ordinary ball. People will vote at the ball to choose the woman who best embodies Psyche's virtues, and she will play the role of Psyche, riding in a rose-decorated carriage through the entire estate the next day."

Wang An'an understood, "Sister Yufei, you've taken on this job, right?"

After she finished speaking, Li Yufei hesitated for a moment.

She pursed her lips, "Basically, I guess." Occasionally, Song Xiaona would snatch the reply.

"That's just how my job is. I don't usually make any business, but when I do, I can live off it for three months."

Wow, how much is that?

"It's not fixed. My income is calculated by dividing the number of people who vote for me by 3 and removing the decimal point."

"Ah!" Wang An'an exclaimed, "Several hundred that time?"

"How could that be? You're dreaming," Li Yufei said. "At the beginning, there were only sixty people in the manor. It was good that forty of them voted for me. In the first two years, I only had a little over a hundred faith points at most. It was only this year that I broke through two hundred."

They won three times in a row, which took six weeks.

Earning a little over 100 faith points in 42 days averages out to just three points a day.

Wang An'an worried, "Sister Yufei, you're the First Lady now, and your income isn't high either." It's only one yuan more than the driver's.

“Making money isn’t that easy.” Li Yufei tapped her head. “The only high-paying jobs that are easy are for clergy, but each chapel only has four positions for nuns and deacons. You saw it today too. It’s been three years, and your brother-in-law has only added one deacon. I can’t just put you in there.”

Wang An'an nodded repeatedly, "I know that, I definitely wouldn't think about it."

"For jobs other than clergy, the daily wage is generally 1 to 2 points. Think it over carefully, and tell me if you like any of them. Although you don't earn much here, you don't spend much either. Just doing a full Mass every day will earn you 3 points, plus the Holy War and some special points, enough to make sure you have enough to eat and drink."

"I knew I'd get what I wanted if I followed Sister Yufei." The little girl hugged Li Yufei's arm, her words sweet and ingratiating. "Thank you, Sister, thank you so much."

Li Yufei frowned. "What are you thanking me for? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten involved here."

“But Sister Yufei, you’ve spent three years here, and only three days outside,” she said. “Anyway, it’s summer vacation now, and I still have 62 days left in my summer vacation. I can live here for the rest of my life. If I can’t get out, I’ll just consider it as immigrating to Switzerland or Iceland; if I can get out, I can live twice in different worlds, so it’s not a loss.”

Li Yufei admired him: "With this mindset, you can survive anywhere."

As the two were talking, a shrill scream suddenly rang out from ahead, startling Wang An'an. Immediately afterward, a loud shout followed: "Get out! Don't let me see you again!"

Wang An'an stood on tiptoe, "Sister Yufei, what happened? There are so many people gathered over there!"

Li Yufei glanced around and immediately knew what had happened. She pulled Wang An'an aside and said, "Just pretend you're abroad here, don't get involved in the commotion."

"Huh? Oh, okay." She was pulled away by Li Yufei, but couldn't resist her curiosity and turned to look back.

Amidst the tightly packed crowd, intermittent whispers could be heard: "The newcomers are just asking for trouble."

"It's not new anymore, it's been two months. Instead of properly attending Mass and working, all it does is steal."

"Cutting off both of his hands is too lenient."

"What's wrong with these security guards? Didn't Mr. Cheng say that limbs should be cut off for theft? Why didn't they cut off the feet?"

"Is this amount small?"

Wang An'an was taken aback.

Chop off both hands...?

Did she hear wrong? But what was that scream just now...?

"Sister Yufei..." Wang An'an asked Li Yufei anxiously.

Li Yufei didn't even look back. "You've only just arrived. You'll understand in a while."

"But they seemed to have mentioned something about 'Mr. Cheng'..."

How could such a gentle and kind man set a rule to cut off people's hands and feet?

Wang An'an couldn't believe it.

“Yes, Cheng Yuzhou did set some public security regulations. Some people just need to be taught a lesson,” Li Yufei said. “You don’t need to worry about it; it has nothing to do with you.”

Wang An'an was stunned.

She looked up at Li Yufei. They weren't exactly strangers; Li Yufei wasn't exactly known for her gentle and kind nature. But the coldness on Li Yufei's beautiful profile sent a chill down Wang An'an's spine.

She suddenly realized that there were no laws here.

Cheng Yuzhou is the law here.

"Heh, look at you." Li Yufei walked a distance, making sure she had led Wang An'an far away, and then turned around to see that the little girl's face was pale.

"That's why I told you not to go see him." She went to the side and bought her a cup of light milk tea. "Have some water. Don't worry, that person will be fine."

Wang An'an looked up at her.

"It's easy to heal here. Just pray to the goddess a few times and you'll be back to normal. In the time we've been walking here, the thief's hands have already grown back. He's just in pain for a while now."

“I see…” Wang An’an murmured.

She was still somewhat dazed as the sweet and cool milk tea went down her throat.

is that so……

Because healing injuries is easy, people can cut off hands and feet at will... She always felt a sense of dread.

“Okay, let’s continue.” Li Yufei pointed behind her. “Come on, there are still many places I want to take you to.”

Her expression and tone were as usual, which reassured Wang An'an somewhat.

Severe punishments are intended to combat crime.

She wouldn't break the rules, and Sister Yufei was protecting her, so those things shouldn't have anything to do with her.

The two wandered around, walking, taking the bus, and using wheelchairs, until it got dark before they had roughly covered the area.

"Sister Yufei, we haven't been there yet." Wang An'an spotted a church in the distance. "Is that the Second Church?"

“Uh…” Li Yufei hesitated for a moment. She hadn’t told Wang An’an about Song Xiaona, and said vaguely, “The priest there doesn’t get along with us, and her men are also hostile towards us. I’ll tell you the details later, but in short, don’t go near that area.”

Wang An'an immediately raised three fingers and swore, "Okay, I will never do anything reckless, I will never go near it."

She immediately changed her target, pointing to the three short, thin towers next to the Third Church. "Sister Yufei, what are those? They're so cute, all connected together, like finger bread."

“Um…it’s best if you don’t get close right now,” Li Yufei said. “It’s too intense for you.”

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Those three small towers connected together are called the Towers of Trials, where believers prove their faith. To enter the three towers, one must have an extremely firm belief in order to come out safely."

"That tower is so small, only three meters tall, what can't they get out of there?"

"It looks like that on the outside, but inside it's like an illusion, with a trial ground set up. The three towers increase in difficulty from right to left, and so far I can only go to the rightmost tower."

Wang An'an asked in surprise, "What's it like inside?"

Speaking of this tower, Li Yufei couldn't help but sigh repeatedly. "Once you enter the rightmost tower, it's a battle that lasts day and night. Demons keep pounced on you, and your faith points will become invalid. You have to rely solely on divine tokens, holy water, and hand-to-hand combat."

"This can only be entered solo, with no one around, no time to tell, no idea when it will end, and no idea how many more demons are left..."

The endless fatigue was so intense that Li Yufei felt exhausted just thinking about it. The first few times she went in, she felt utterly hopeless, and each time she went in, she would have nightmares for a long time.

“I’ve been there for two years, and I still can’t get used to it. Don’t even think about it in the short term.”

Wang An'an was even more astonished: "Even Sister Yufei couldn't handle the intensity, so would anyone really go?"

"The intensity is determined based on each person's overall ability. For me, it's a three-day, three-night battle without sleep, but for a 65-year-old grandma over there, it might be just a ten-hour fat-burning workout. This thing is very sensitive; it will precisely push the intensity to your breaking point."

"Then why are people going in?" Just then, Wang An'an saw someone walk into the middle tower.

"Because it earns faith points. The one on the far right adds 30 points, the one in the middle adds 50 points, and the one on the left adds 100 points."

Wang An'an's eyes lit up: "100 points?"

"Stop. Don't think about it. Put your mind at ease." Li Yufei warned her, "Only about fifty people have gone in on the far left. Three of them went completely insane after they came out and are still mentally unstable. Fewer than ten people dared to go in a second time—to be honest, I don't think those ten people are normal. Apart from Cheng Yuzhou, none of them seem like good people."

"Will my brother-in-law go into the leftmost tower?"

“Yes, with his sensitive and fragile personality, it’s amazing that he can get in and out of there.” Li Yufei added, “But he always comes out with tears in his eyes, and it takes me all night to coax him, which is also very troublesome. I told him that I don’t need the 100, but he said that unless I don’t go to the Trial Tower, he must go.”

Wang An'an couldn't imagine Cheng Yuzhou crawling out with tears in his eyes. She asked doubtfully, "You guys shouldn't be short of those 30 points, right?"

“Low income is one thing, no income is another.” Li Yufei put her hands on her hips. “What he meant was, ‘I have money, you don’t need to work, just stay at home.’ No way, I’ll just give him a spittoon and let him go.”

"As expected of Sister Yufei," Wang An'an gave a thumbs up, "She's just as clear-headed when it comes to men who 'don't just play around'."

She then asked, "How often do you and your brother-in-law go?"

"This wasn't our decision; the trials have time limits. The one on the far right can be entered once every 20 days, while the other two towers can only be entered once a month."

"What exactly is inside the other two towers?"

“I went to the middle tower once,” Li Yufei frowned, reluctant to recall. “The enemies in the middle aren’t just monsters anymore; there are also humans you know, and the atmosphere is much more oppressive. The feeling of killing was too unpleasant, so I never went back after that.”

She'd rather kill seafood than kill people.

"As for the one on the far left, Cheng Yuzhou said that the temperature is very high once you go in, as if flames are corroding your whole body. The trial participants will watch their bodies being corroded and burned by the fire. While being burned, they will also have to endlessly kill monsters and people, and there are also terrifying and devastating hallucinations interspersed in between."

"Everyone's trials are different. In short, you should only go to the one on the right. If you need money, come to me and your brother-in-law. Absolutely do not go into the other two."

Wang An'an's main response was: "Understood!"

The sky was darkening, and it was almost time for evening mass.

That concluded their first day of sightseeing. They took a bus from a nearby bus stop directly to the castle chapel.

After the Mass, Li Yufei treated Wang An'an and Cheng Yuzhou to a meal.

After taking Wang An'an back to her room, she took a shower and lay on the bed, letting Cheng Yuzhou massage her shoulders and legs.

Cheng Yuzhou massaged her back and asked, "How was your day? Did An'an like it here?"

"What does she know now? Demons, divine messengers, executions—she hasn't seen any of that yet, and she only thinks of praying before meals as something fun."

“It’s a good thing if you don’t feel disgusted,” Cheng Yuzhou comforted him. “Pain and darkness are, after all, only a few times.”

"Don't even mention it," Li Yufei sighed. "I passed by the Trial Tower today, and she even asked me about it. I did the math, and I'll be going into the tower again in four days."

Cheng Yuzhou paused.

He looked up at Li Yufei, who immediately knew what he was going to say and pointed at him, saying, "Shut up."

He sighed deeply, swallowing his words of advice, but the worry between his brows remained firmly furrowed.

The Trial Tower was proposed by Cheng Yuzhou a year and a half ago.

After the chaos and infighting of the first year, people's emotions calmed down and the production of negative energy entered a low period.

In order to stimulate negative emotions, Cheng Yuzhou deliberately orchestrated a defeat.

Tormented by failure, the people were filled with anxiety and desperately wanted to increase their faith points. He then used the same rhetoric he had used when building the church for the first time to convince them that they needed a new opportunity to earn faith points.

The proposal for the Trial Tower was thus approved.

Today, this tower has become a factory for producing negative emotions in ghost stories, providing him with a constant stream of energy; but Cheng Yuzhou is not satisfied.

A year ago, he discovered that newcomers to the world of ghost stories now have comprehensive guidance.

The initial stage should have been a period of reaping a lot of negative emotions, but the newcomers, like Wang An'an who came in yesterday, had experienced mentors to guide them, so they didn't feel much fear at all.

This is not good.

After discovering this problem, Cheng Yuzhou suspended the expansion of the area where the supernatural tales were told.

He accumulated negative energy and planned to create an "entrance hall" in front of the manor as the first strange tale for the newlyweds.

He wanted to recreate a small-scale, original ghost story, letting all the newcomers stay there for two or three months without guidance, thoroughly squeezing out their initial panic before officially opening the manor to them.

The manor is, after all, where Li Yufei lives, so it shouldn't be too chaotic.

Cheng Yuzhou first proposed building a church to prevent idlers from causing trouble.

When people with nothing to do gather together, the crime rate increases significantly.

He devoted a great deal of energy to creating jobs. Work and labor are necessary; they not only generate negative emotions but also solve a host of social problems.

This is where Li Yufei lives, this is their home. Cheng Yuzhou needs both negative emotions and safety and stability.

He skillfully balances positive and negative emotions.

He has now accumulated enough energy to create "Strange Tales of the Mysterious Passage," and he plans to start making arrangements in the next couple of days.

Without Li Yufei in the entryway, he could unleash his full potential and create something even more terrifying and horrifying than the original ghost story.

But whether it's the entrance hall, the trial tower, or the holy war, the negative emotions generated by these terrifying and bizarre things are always short-term and temporary, and can only be harvested in the first wave of the internet celebrity economy.

Conversely, negative emotions generated in a stable, low-pressure state may be fewer, but they can persist for a long time.

The greater the wealth gap and the greater the disparity in a society, the more negative emotions it will generate.

As the estate grew larger and its prosperity increased, Cheng Yuzhou increasingly felt a sense of déjà vu—

The best way to create enough negative emotions is not to build this place into something bizarre and magical, but to make it as close as possible to the outside world.

Assuming no one dies, the negative emotions generated by "being chased by monsters for a day" are not the most numerous;

Compared to visible monsters, the negative emotions brought about by things like "the elderly being swindled out of their life's hard-earned money," "middle-aged people being unemployed and unable to find work while their entire families are waiting for money," and "the endless 007 work intensity" are just as significant, if not more so.

Ghost tales don't need to create any demons or monsters; the negative emotions brought by any demons or monsters can't compare to the endless flow of the latter.

Cheng Yuzhou increasingly felt that what he was trying to build was not a "strange tale," but an "ordinary world."

[world]

This word once again prompted Cheng Yuzhou to think deeply.

The manor consists of two modules: Swallow and he construct "Strange Tales," while [The World] provides the "rules" for humans to survive within these tales.

"Rules" are the goodwill of the world.

Almost the instant the ghost story was born, the world discovered it and injected goodwill into it, but why has it not been eradicated yet?

If this ghost story becomes exactly the same as the outside "world," then is there any need for the "world" to eradicate it?

Ultimately, why does the world want to crack down on ghost stories?

Logically, it's because ghost stories have harmed the living beings in the world.

However, according to the theory of maximizing the output of negative emotions, the most harmful thing to living beings is not demons and monsters, but the social structure of the normal world.

In a sense, it's hard to say whether it's the "ghost stories" or the "world" that are harmful to humanity.

Returning to the present, as long as a person dies, they can leave behind the supernatural tales.

Are the "rules" that allow people to survive in ghost stories truly well-intentioned...?

Cheng Yuzhou vaguely glimpsed a ray of light, but lacking corroboration from other perspectives, these one-sided conjectures and inferences could not be verified.

The only second-person perspective swallow has been gone for three years.

As the swallow had said before it left, it never returned. The so-called "claws of the world" never showed themselves either.

The stronger the Lord of Ghost Stories is, the greater the difference in the flow of time between the ghost stories and the outside world.

The flow of time has little effect on the people and things within the ghost stories, but it is very effective in evading capture by [World's Minions].

Imagine that when the speed ratio between the inside and outside is large enough, the time it takes for [the world's henchmen] to discover the strange tales and to break through them is enough for him and Li Yufei to live out their lives together.

Regardless, we must never slack off on collecting negative emotions.

Should we add some new rules, or create another artificial civil unrest?

Song Xiaona's people have been well-fed and watered for a while now, and they've practically fattened up...

This line of thought also gave Cheng Yuzhou a strong sense of déjà vu.

He intentionally cultivated those people in the Song School, just as he had previously intentionally cultivated consumers' wallets, and controlled the timing of new product launches.

The mindset of operating a supernatural fantasy is becoming more and more like operating a normal small society, while the magical and bizarre part is becoming less and less present.

Ultimately, it is humans who can create negative emotions in people.

"The holy war is the day after tomorrow, so put An'an in our group."

Cheng Yuzhou snapped out of his reverie and heard Li Yufei say, "We'll mentor her in the first two rounds, and I won't interfere with which group you assign her to after that."

"No problem," he replied. "This is easy."

"There's more."

"Um?"

Just as Cheng Yuzhou was about to write down her arrangements for Wang An'an, her sparkling and alluring manicured nails unbuttoned the buttons on his chest.

“I did the math,” Li Yufei tilted her head and unbuttoned his shirt one by one, “Tomorrow is preparation for the battle, and the day after tomorrow is the Holy War. If all goes well, I’ll be playing Psyche the day after tomorrow; if not, it’ll be the reset battle and the next round of the Holy War. Then I’ll go to the Trial Tower, and after I come out of the tower… um, that’s when I start my period.”

After taking off his priest's robes, he was wearing a close-fitting shirt.

The transparent buttons were undone one by one beneath the crimson crystal nails. Li Yufei looked up, her eyes warm and gentle: "You know what I mean, right?"

Cheng Yuzhou's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he lowered his eyes slightly.

From this angle, the refined elegance of Jiangnan, characteristic of Fang Yuzhou, flows out from him, cool and refreshing like mist.

The priest's black robe with gold buttons hung on the wall, perfectly pressed, each button engraved with an exquisite rose.

He bent down, knelt on the bed, and gently kissed her toes.

As he bent over, Li Yufei grabbed his arm.

She slid down beneath him and took his lips into hers first.

Her magnificent, algae-like curly hair was cascaded onto the silk quilt, the curls of which were a more vibrant rosy color than the silk itself.

His breath grew increasingly damp, almost muddy, and his ink-black eyes became misty and red.

Amidst the rustling sounds, Li Yufei's soft laughter could be heard.

She took Cheng Yuzhou's constantly bobbing Adam's apple into her mouth and flipped onto him like a fish.

For a fleeting moment, Cheng Yuzhou felt as if he were nailed to an altar where gods were worshipped.

His heart, which had long since stopped beating, pounded wildly. He kissed her, worshipped her, and praised her unparalleled beauty and supreme greatness.

His sun, his dazzling rose.

No matter how many people are sacrificed, even if it means offering up his own remaining, fragmented soul, he will protect her to the death.

...

What Li Yufei liked most about Cheng Yuzhou was that after they were done, he would take care of all the cleanup and even get her a late-night snack.

She swung her legs, sat by the window eating a reheated oatmeal pumpkin pie, and watched Cheng Yuzhou change the sheets and blankets.

He bent over with his back to her, folding the sheet into the mattress.

As she watched, Li Yufei couldn't help but lift her foot and step on his upturned buttocks.

His muscles stiffened; he was startled and helpless, his voice tinged with pleading, begging her not to cause trouble or tease him.

That pitiful look only fueled Li Yufei's interest.

She leaned forward, letting her loose collar hang down, and held out the pumpkin pie to him, blinking her foxy eyes: "Darling, give me some of your sauce~"

Cheng Yuzhou covered his lips with the back of his hand and coughed violently, his face turning red from head to toe.

"Hahahahaha." Li Yufei was overjoyed and laughed heartily in triumph.

That's the right reaction!

Instead of her being eating when he suddenly comes over, grabs her breast, and says in a deep, wicked voice with a wicked smile: "Baby, let me add something to your food?"

Heh.

Why do men turn out this way after the ambiguous period of courtship?

Will Cheng Yuzhou one day become a seasoned veteran?

Li Yufei watched his hurriedly turned back, finding it hard to imagine Cheng Yuzhou like that.

But what if one day his personality really changes drastically and he says such a thing—

"Great! That would be a once-in-a-century spectacle, like an iron tree blooming. She'd take all the bowls from the kitchen, line them up in front of him, set up the video camera, and then respectfully ask him:"

"Come on~ let's begin, sir."

Oh dear! Cheng Yuzhou, could you please tell her quickly? She really wants to see it! She's willing to pay faith points to watch it.

Cheng Yuzhou could not say it, he would never say it even if he died—he would never say it even if he died again.

After Li Yufei finished eating, the bed was made.

She lay down and scrolled through her phone while waiting for Cheng Yuzhou to come out of the shower.

The hardest thing about being at the manor was the lack of internet. After three months of internet abstinence, Li Yufei was almost going crazy, so Cheng Yuzhou borrowed two routers from the scenic area's office and set up an intranet.

It's not very useful; it only allows users to exchange messages using a simple program he developed within a certain range.

The local area network and programs are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Although they are far from comparable to the outside world, browsing the manor forum can still provide some entertainment—especially the posts in the [Castle] module that insult the [Second Church], which she liked every single one of.

After eight consecutive victories in the holy war, the Cheng and Song factions had not clashed for a long time.

The past two days have been calm, with the forum filled with everyday family matters and public declarations of love. The homepage features two mothers' parenting stories.

This is truly a national treasure; everyone will take a look.

Li Yufei also clicks in to take a look every day.

Unlike the wrinkled and chubby Red Boy when he was first born, the baby now is fair and tender.

The child is adorable, and the mother, who is in the spotlight, is in a good mood, as evidenced by the words she posts that radiate happiness.

Li Yufei's eyes flickered slightly as she looked up at Cheng Yuzhou after he came out of the shower.

"Cheng Yuzhou".

"Hmm?" Cheng Yuzhou dried his slightly damp hair, turned off the main light in the bedroom, and prepared to get into bed.

Let's get married.

He suddenly looked up and stared blankly at Li Yufei.

On this ordinary evening, as they finished showering and were getting ready for bed, she suddenly proposed to him.

Cheng Yuzhou was completely caught off guard and couldn't react for a long time.

Li Yufei blinked: "Why are you so surprised? We should have gotten married nine years ago."

This is hardly a sudden thing; their wedding, which was supposed to have started when they were 23, has been delayed until now, and they've both turned 30.

“But…” Cheng Yuzhou was at a loss, “There’s nothing here… No, I can prepare, I’ll prepare right away!”

"What are you preparing!" Li Yufei grabbed him as he ran out like a headless fly. "We already say we're husband and wife to everyone else. You still want to have another wedding? How are we going to explain this to people? It'll be so embarrassing."

"I'll go explain!" Cheng Yuzhou said immediately. "No one will question us, Feifei. I guarantee everyone will bless us."

"Ha, Song Xiaona is impossible. Alright, don't get so worked up." Li Yufei said, pulling him to sit on the bed. "I've been so busy lately, it'll take at least a few months to prepare a wedding that I'm happy with. I'll worry about that for now."

She opened her hand, presenting her fair palm to Cheng Yuzhou, "Give me the wedding ring."

Cheng Yuzhou looked at her, and she moved her fingers to urge him, "What are you staring at? I said give me the ring. The one you designed and customized before we got married. I still have the picture in my album. Can you use your black magic to make it again?"

Her palm was facing upwards, not because she wanted Cheng Yuzhou to put a ring on her finger, but because she wanted him to give her both of them, so she could decide their future.

An ominous black mist swirled within Cheng Yuzhou's body and within this strange tale.

That night, Cheng Yuzhou plotted to use them to create an even more brutal terror and a more solid protective barrier.

That night, Li Yufei reached out to him, wanting to use the black mist to recreate the marriage they had lost.

Cheng Yuzhou had worried and hesitated about whether his decision to start the supernatural tales was the right one, but when he used the black mist he had collected to condense the two platinum diamond rings, and when Li Yufei took his hand and slipped the rings onto his ring finger, a shock of enlightenment after arduous cultivation brought tears to his eyes.

His God approved of him.

He tremblingly lifted his heavy, wet eyelashes, knelt on one knee before her, and carefully placed the ring on Li Yufei's finger.

Diamonds shone brightly in the golden and red rose-colored night.

“Feifei,” he lowered his eyes, kissing her hand adorned with the ring again and again, promising in a hoarse voice, “I will definitely treat you very, very well…”

He will do everything in his power and at any cost to meet her demands.

He begged her, as she had said, to give him laughter, to give him love, and to give him the rest of his life.

He loved her deeply; his soul had long belonged to her.

-----------------------

The author says: The most terrifying ghost stories are often the least like ghost stories. The real darkness lies in those that make people unable to perceive any difference from the outside world.

—Cheng Yuzhou, "Strange Tales"

He's really become a ghost story enthusiast now. [Sigh]