The Monsters All Covet Him - Chapter 25

Aside from the seamstresses, more and more humans and Silver Jiao chose to accept the decision. Ultimately, the policy was passed by majority vote. Since they could not touch the garments woven from feathered arrows, Lin Yang had to climb the ladder himself to dress each Giant Stone Monster. He labored through the entire day without a single moment’s rest, finally putting on the last piece of clothing just as the light faded.

Fubai had not left from start to finish. He watched as Lin Yang descended the ladder and said, “You are a miracle of this world. Had you not arrived, the humans and Silver Jiao on the ground would likely have all perished at the hands of the Evil God; they will all be grateful to you.”

“The Grand Master is too kind; the effort you have poured into this land is incomparable to mine,” Lin Yang replied. Scanning Fubai’s robust complexion, he smiled. “I haven’t heard you cough in a while. It seems you have recovered; please still take care of your health while working for the people.”

Fubai sighed helplessly. “It’s an old ailment that comes and goes; I am merely lingering on. Even so, I cannot die just yet.” He looked up at the suspended Inverted Prison Tower. “I still have unfinished business. The threat on the ground is temporarily resolved, but the Evil God in the temple remains a catastrophe. The magic circle imprisoning it has loosened; the day it steps out of the temple will be the end of the world. I cannot stand by and watch that day arrive.”

“Perhaps I can erase the Evil God from this world.”

Upon hearing this, Fubai asked in confusion, “Lin Yang, didn’t you say the Evil God cannot be killed?”

As the sky darkened, Lin Yang’s face sank into the shadows. “This world originally had no Evil God. From wherever it came, it shall be sent back. Grand Master, are you willing to take on one more student?”

Lin Yang went to Fubai’s residence to borrow several ancient books. Before he left, Fubai’s gaze lingered near Lin Yang’s stomach, looking as if he wanted to speak but hesitated. Fubai finally spoke cautiously: “Lin Yang, do you like children?”

Lin Yang nodded without thinking. “I do.”

Fubai staggered back, his eyes vacant as he murmured, “What should be done then…”

Seeing Fubai’s despondent expression, Lin Yang asked, “What is it? Is it not allowed to like them?”

Fubai said hurriedly, “No, it’s just that both you and the Evil God are extraordinary. I worry that a child you nurture together will inherit the Evil God’s…”

“Wait a minute,” Lin Yang interrupted with a strange expression. “A child nurtured by me and the Evil God?”

Fubai looked dazed. “Yes, the Evil God told me himself that you were pregnant with his child.”

The nerves in Lin Yang’s temple throbbed. What on earth was that evil creature thinking, believing that he—a grown man—could get pregnant? He told Fubai with a smile, “Rest assured, it is impossible for me and him to have a child. Not now, and not in the future. You have absolutely no need to worry about this.”

Fubai felt a surge of intense killing intent from the smiling Lin Yang, though it didn’t seem directed at him. Regardless, Fubai could finally get a good night’s sleep.

By the time Lin Yang returned to his home clutching the ancient books, the sky had turned pitch black. Linlin’s expression was somewhat odd. 00, who usually crouched at Linlin’s feet waiting for Lin Yang, was nowhere to be seen. Lin Yang raised an eyebrow and walked into Linlin’s belly. Scanning the room, he noticed an extra evil creature doll sitting on his bed, staring down 00. 00’s tail was shaking like a small fan, and its golden eyes were full of unshed tears. Seeing Lin Yang, it immediately lunged over, grabbing his shoulder and hiding pitifully behind him. Sensing the atmosphere in the room was off, it then rolled out of the stone house.

Lin Yang met the gaze of Lin, who was sitting on his bed. The killing intent he had carried on the way back vanished instantly, replaced by a trace of unconscious guilt. However, his face showed none of it as he asked naturally, “You’ve woken up? Has your body recovered?”

“Not well. Lin Yang, you lied to me.”

Lin Yang’s eyelid jumped. Lin looked up at Lin Yang’s face in the candlelight; his skin was pale, his features delicate, and those soft lips always carried a seductive smile. But if one looked only at those dark eyes, one would find no hint of a smile behind the dense lashes. Lin’s sweet fantasies from the past few days were punctured as he looked straight at Lin Yang.

“You came to the temple every night not because you liked me, but to distract me so I wouldn’t strike the living things on the ground. The one who wanted to give gifts to the Giant Stone Monsters wasn’t Linlin, but you. And those weren’t gifts, but feather-raiment to prevent me from bringing disaster.”

“Everything you have calculated was for the sake of the humans on the ground!”

“Then what about me, Lin Yang? Am I just a god of plague to be avoided the moment you are finished with me?”

Lin Yang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. This was indeed his original plan. He was human, and everything he did was naturally for human interests; he didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. He had prepared more than ten ways to deceive the evil creature once the plan was exposed, but now, none of those pretty words would come out.

Standing under Lin’s judgmental gaze, his lips curled into an indifferent smile. “Didn’t you know already? Every step of my approach was with ulterior motives. I ignored your pain, trampled on your sincerity, and unilaterally sided with humans. I am just such a rotten person. It’s not too late for you to give up on me…”

“Mmph!”

His lip was brutally bitten open. His body was thrown heavily onto the bed, followed by the creature pressing down on him. His wrists were pinned above his head, and his waist was entwined. Lin Yang felt as if he were buried in an avalanche; his breath was full of the scent of snow, mixed with a faint metallic tang of blood. His breathing grew labored, and his vision blurred with tears before starting to sway.

“No, not here… Linlin and 00 will hear… haah…”

His mouth was blocked again, and Lin Yang’s mind went blank for a moment. Dense black silk threads wove into a cocoon, trapping him and Lin together. It was a wanton ravaging, an extreme plunder. Lin’s fingers grew sharp claws; he pressed them against Lin Yang’s neck, the sharp nails easily slicing a bloody trail. The stinging pain caused Lin Yang’s pupils to dilate slightly.

However, before Lin Yang’s powerful self-healing ability, the bloody trail soon healed, vanishing completely from his neck—just as Lin could leave no lasting mark on Lin Yang’s body. Like a wild beast unable to mark its territory, Lin felt an increasing sense of unease and agitation.

His cold voice became frantic: “Lin Yang, I am not a stray dog you can discard at will. I am a monster; when I lose control, I can tear you to pieces. Abandoning me is equivalent to going to hell with me. Do you want that?”

It was too mad. Lin Yang was drenched and sweaty, feeling as if he were being roasted in a fire despite being in an ice field. His eyes looked as if they had been washed in water as Lin grabbed his thrashing feet.

Losing control, Lin pressed him for an answer: “Lin Yang, are you going to abandon me?”

Lin Yang, who didn’t even know when he had started “raising” this monster, shook his head frantically. “I won’t abandon you, I won’t! Ah, fuck, stop for a second… I’m going to die…”

Though angry and out of control, Lin still listened carefully to what Lin Yang was saying and frowned. “You aren’t old; you are very young.” Lin added, “And very beautiful.”

Lin Yang kicked Lin in the face, his dark eyes watery and the corners of his eyes red. He said word by word, “Please go and die, alright?”

Half an hour later, the cocoon of black silk threads dispersed. Lin Yang emerged with his clothes intact, followed indifferently by Lin, who had a suspicious red mark on his face. Only then did Lin Yang turn his attention to the stone house.

Oh. All the clothes in his cabinet had been torn apart and turned into the shape of a nest. The two pots of green grass he had raised from seeds he painstakingly found had been uprooted and torn to pieces. The walls of the stone house were covered with dense portraits, all of which had faces identical to Lin’s and were carved with Lin’s name.

Lin Yang’s vision went dark. Did this evil creature really think it was a dog tearing up the house? Even a dog wouldn’t tear it up to this extent, would it? Sensing something was wrong, he looked at his two collected trophies. The anger in his heart spiked.

The one with the red collar sewn on its neck—the collar was gone. The one with red pearls hanging on its wrists and ankles—the pearls were also gone. Lin Yang glanced at the evil creature, only to realize it was wearing the bright red collar around its neck. On its wrists, besides the black bracelet, there were several strings of red pearl bracelets.

“Hand them over,” Lin Yang said, reaching out his hand.

Lin resisted. “These were meant to be gifts for me anyway.”

Lin Yang looked at the red collar on Lin’s neck, which was completely out of place with its entire outfit, and then at its wrists wrapped like a non-mainstream trend, and gave up. There was no reasoning with this evil creature. At worst, he would just make them again.

“Fine,” Lin Yang nodded. “Those are for you. But what about my clothes? The green grass? And these drawings all over the walls? Linlin, are you just letting it treat your body like this?!”

Linlin remained silent. How could it possibly control the Evil God!

Standing amidst the mess of the room, Lin looked down. “I will compensate you.”

Lin Yang felt that if Lin had a tail, it would be wagging right now. Dense black silk threads crept in, nimbly clearing away the tattered fabric, broken vases, and shredded grass on the floor. The sand and gravel from the carvings were also swept clean. Several sets of clothes appeared out of thin air on Lin Yang’s bed. Lin sorted them one by one into categories and organized them neatly into Lin Yang’s wardrobe.

Lin Yang was surprised to find that these clothes were of different styles and eras, dating back thousands of years to the present; every style was represented. Most were red. Lin Yang was about to offer praise when his sharp eyes spotted several “douduo” (traditional camisoles) being stuffed into the wardrobe, all in different colors. Wait, what was that supposed to mean?

Before he could question it, Lin had already closed the wardrobe. Its silver eyes looked at the spot where the green grass had been; two vases had been placed there again by the black silk threads. Lin’s palms closed, and when they opened again, a seed took root and sprouted in its palm. A green plant grew, and in the blink of an eye, it bloomed into beautiful crimson flowers.

Lin Yang held his breath, staring unblinkingly at Lin’s palm. “What is this?”

“A rose. I read about it in books; humans use roses to symbolize love.”

“Lin Yang, I have developed love for you.”