When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 144: [Bonus - ] Just For Tonight

Chapter 144: [Bonus Chapter] Just For Tonight

In the first place, how much did Jin Jiuchi know about his counterpart? Had he always been aware of the confrontation Shen Nianzu desperately wanted to keep a secret? Had he pretended not to know in order to lower Shen Nianzu’s guard?

A wave of unease washed over him, leaving him feeling cold and unsettled. Just as his thoughts were spiraling into the worst-case scenario, Jin Jiuchi, who had been keeping a close eye on the subtle changes in the jade doll’s expression, suddenly spoke up,

"Do you want to hear about our first meeting, Nian’er?"

"Your first meeting?" Shen Nianzu responded cautiously, trying to gauge Jin Jiuchi’s intentions.

"Well, it’s not the first, per se... but according to him, I have forgotten quite a lot." Then Jin Jiuchi proceeded to recount his encounter with his brother on the border of life and death and everything they had discussed. However, he avoided mentioning the ’connection’ to Shen Nianzu that his brother had talked about. Jin Jiuchi had no idea why he did it either. Perhaps he did not want to scare the jade doll away? Yes, that must be it. He must not make Nian’er afraid of him!

Fortunately, Shen Nianzu was so overwhelmed by the sheer information behind that brief talk that he failed to notice Jin Jiuchi’s hesitation. "So much is happening during the short period after you put the headpiece on..."

"You said that... you and your brother are supposed to be one and the same?" Shen Nianzu carefully repeated what he had heard. "You both share everything, but you end up... born in different bodies?"

"Right, Nian’er is so smart!" Jin Jiuchi exclaimed, "That’s exactly what he said!"

"In that case," Shen Nianzu studied the man closely, not wanting to miss any changes in his expression, "Can you feel him right now? Can you sense what he’s thinking and feeling?"

Jin Jiuchi sighed and shook his head in remorse, as he really wanted to meet his brother again. "Not now. But I could sense him when the Joker skill card was activated last time."

"Joker skill card... Yin Yang Beast..." Shen Nianzu murmured, lost in thought.

Yin and Yang, the two opposing and contrasting forces that were often depicted as the interplay of shadow and light. If Yin was often associated with darkness and coldness, then Yang would be warmth and light. However, they were not separate entities, but rather interdependent forces that existed and relied on each other for balance and harmony.

Now, Shen Nianzu began to figure out why Jin Jiuchi’s skill card was named ’Yin Yang Beast’. If what the black-eyed Jin Jiuchi said was true, then they were born as two halves meant to balance each other.

— "We used to be two individuals, but since I ate him... or was it him who ate me? What’s the difference? Didn’t we become one in the end?"

Shen Nianzu recalled what the man had once told him. Judging from Jin Jiuchi’s tone, the two brothers’ relationship did not sound bad, so why did they end up devouring each other? What would happen if Yin and Yang were to become one? Would they become whole or... would it foretell a great chaos?

Exactly what had happened to both of them in the past?

So many questions swirled in Shen Nianzu’s mind. Too bad the Jin Jiuchi before him was the naïve and foolish kind. It seemed like if he wanted to seek answers, he still had to deal with the other half, no matter how reluctant he was.

After sorting out his thoughts, Shen Nianzu belatedly realized how late it was. "Let’s go down and rest," he suggested to Jin Jiuchi. "We will need a lot of energy for tomorrow. There’s a high chance that we will not be able to sleep well in the Cycle."

Shen Nianzu made a move to break free from Jin Jiuchi’s embrace, but the man held onto him tighter. "Nian’er, did you forget something?" When he received nothing but a look of confusion from the jade doll, Jin Jiuchi couldn’t help but feel extremely aggrieved and tears pooled on the corner of his eyes. "You promised me that you would allow me to get close to you if I answered your questions."

Ah, that’s right, there was that thing. Shen Nianzu did not want to admit that he almost forgot about it. Clearing his throat, he patted Jin Jiuchi’s silly head in passing, "How can I forget? Just for tonight..." he hesitated for a while before gritting his teeth and adding, "You may come... to my bed..."

"Yess!" Jin Jiuchi’s face immediately lit up with excitement as he jumped to his feet, still holding the jade doll tightly to him. "Let’s go and sleep together, Nian’er!"

’Patience,’ Shen Nianzu told himself. ’This silly husky knows nothing. It’s just one night of cuddling. It’s not like we haven’t done it before.’

They returned to Shen Nianzu’s bedroom, and the first thing he did was turn off the damn music player that had caused his brain to go haywire earlier.

"That’s right." Shen Nianzu suddenly recalled something and turned to Jin Jiuchi who was already crawling onto the bed. "What is your SAN Value now?"

He had asked about it in the hospital once before, but Jin Jiuchi distracted him using tears and caused him to forget it entirely.

"I didn’t check. Must I?" Jin Jiuchi lay down on the bed and made himself comfortable before he retrieved his phone.

Shen Nianzu did not even have the energy to get angry anymore. It seemed like asking Jin Jiuchi to take things seriously was more arduous than begging for snow at the peak of summer. With a helpless sigh, Shen Nianzu took the phone and checked Jin Jiuchi’s SAN Value on the Nightmare App. There, he saw a number that caused his eyes to go wide.

[Current SAN Value: 68]

It was much better than he thought. Wait a moment, had it always been this high? If he remembered correctly, Jin Jiuchi’s SAN value had only been 62 before...

As expected, Jin Jiuchi had become more stable once he encountered his counterpart.

"Nian’er."

Shen Nianzu tore his gaze from the phone screen to look at Jin Jiuchi. "What is it?"

Jin Jiuchi hesitated for a while before saying, "It seems like... you don’t like my brother that much?"

Shen Nianzu was taken aback for a second by that question, before realization dawned on him. Of course, though Jin Jiuchi might appear foolish and gullible, he was actually very perceptive and conscious of his surroundings. His IQ worked just fine too, if only he would take the time to rid himself of the laziness.

Shen Nianzu sat on the bedside and placed the phone on the nightstand, saying, "How can it be?" He reached out to flick Jin Jiuchi on the forehead, earning him a dramatic ’oww!’ "I didn’t dislike him at all. Just..." he trailed off.

The feelings the black-eyed Jin Jiuchi gave him were a stark contrast from the silver-eyed Jin Jiuchi. With the former, he felt like he had to keep his guard up all the time, or he would not even know when he was gobbled up. It was the alert and caution stemming from facing a powerful opponent. After all, up until now he could not say for certain that the black-eyed Jin Jiuchi would not rip his throat.

To Jin Jiuchi, however, he merely said, "It’s just that I don’t know him very well, so we’re not close yet. Do you understand?"

"Oooh." Jin Jiuchi was quickly satisfied with that answer and grinned in response, "Don’t worry, we will definitely meet him again later."

Shen Nianzu scoffed, thinking that Jin Jiuchi was only saying that to console him. Little did he know that this silly husky’s mouth had a knack to become a jinx.

.

.

A/N: please continue to support the book with GTs, PS, comments and reviews ^^ oh gifts are greatly appreciated~