When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 344: Can You Not Go?

Chapter 344: Can You Not Go?

Surprise flickered in Ying’s eyes as she took in the three new people before her. "You’re here as well?"

"Uh-huh," Gu Luoxin nodded, equally surprised to see so many players when he had expected four people – or children – alone. "You’re quick."

"Well, we have Nian as our guide."

"Wait a minute..." A sudden realization dawned on Gu Luoxin and his eyes widened in shock. "Xiao Shen went to fetch you, Da Shen is here with us. Does it mean I... my future self should be with Grandpa’s group right now?!"

"Jin—" Shen Nianzu instinctively took a step forward upon seeing the man his heart had been longing for, but then he abruptly recalled that he was still holding onto the twins’ hands. The twins, who were Jin Jiuchi’s past selves. What about the paradox rules?! In an instant, horror washed over him as he jumped to position himself in front of the two dumplings, trying to shield them from Jin Jiuchi’s sight. "Stop, are you even supposed to be here?!"

Despite Shen Nianzu’s efforts, it was too late, for both parties had already acknowledged each other’s presence.

"So you’re our future self..." Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi’s jaws dropped as he took in the towering figure before him. "H–How did you become so tall and big?"

The black-haired child took in the sight of Jin Jiuchi’s black hair and silver eyes, and his countenance grew somber as if he had come to some sort of conclusion. However, his thoughts were not transferred to his twin, who was busy admiring their future appearance.

The corner of Jin Jiuchi’s lips hooked into a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I finally got to meet you..." These two were the reason why he had to succumb to fate and disappear in every single loop. He had once been so excited to meet them, but after numerous inexplicable deaths, that excitement had long since turned into annoyance. Now he simply wanted to see what they looked like.

His gaze shifted from the silver-haired child to the black-haired one who was staring at him with vigilance, and a faint sound escaped his throat, tinged with a hint of longing, "Brother..."

Hearing that, the black-haired Jin Jiuchi was taken aback, his golden pupils shaking. He instinctively tightened his grip around Shen Nianzu’s hand.

"Wait, wait—" Shen Nianzu grew even more flustered as he tried to stop their interaction, especially when he saw faint sparks of electricity forming beneath Jin Jiuchi’s feet. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this. "You guys should stop talking to each other first!"

That sweet and milky voice succeeded in drawing Jin Jiuchi’s attention, and his eyes flew as wide as saucers as he took in Shen Nianzu’s appearance for the very first time. "N–Nian’er...?" he whispered in disbelief. "You... you are..."

The child before him bore a striking resemblance to the jade doll in his memory, the one who had been with him throughout the entire duration in the Shishen Apartment and Temple of Anubis. Yet at the same time, he also looked different.

For starters, he appeared a few years younger, with round cheeks full of baby fat, large purple eyes that seemed to contain the universe within, thin and artfully straight brows akin to a single stroke of brush, and full pouty lips. His hair, originally tied into a ponytail, had almost come apart from all the running and fighting, silver strands framing his delicate face perfectly.

He resembled an ethereal little fairy standing there with his brows furrowed, looking so, so adorable that Jin Jiuchi had to pinch his nose to prevent any nosebleeds."Fuck, if this is the last sight I see before I die, I will be perfectly satisfied!"

Shen Nianzu snapped at him harshly, "W–What are you saying?! You will not die!" Even though he said that, his purple eyes were wide in panic, tears almost spilling out of them.

It was because Jin Jiuchi’s legs had begun to disappear.

Jin Jiuchi flashed him a reassuring grin, "It’s okay, Nian’er. I will only be gone for a while. Moreover, ain’t there two of me with you right there?"

"N–No..." Shen Nianzu broke free from the twins’ grasp and rushed forward, only to stumble over his little feet and fall face-first to the ground for the second time. The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth as he accidentally bit on the inside of his cheek, and this time holding back his tears felt like an impossible task. "Wuu..."

"Nian’er!"

Three different voices called out to him, and soon, Shen Nianzu felt himself being picked up by his armpits. He was cradled within a familiar and warm embrace. Jin Jiuchi’s concerned voice echoed above him, "Nian’er, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?!"

"J–Jin Jiuchi..." Shen Nianzu immediately wrapped his little arms around Jin Jiuchi’s neck and buried his face into the man’s shoulder, allowing his tears to seep into the fabric of the shirt. "Can you not go?" he whispered against the man’s skin, his tone sticky and imploring.

"Aiyah, how can you be so cute?!" Jin Jiuchi hugged him tighter and nuzzled his cheek on the crown of Shen Nianzu’s head. His heart felt like it had melted into a puddle of rainbow goo. "Nian’er is the cutest, most beautiful baby ever! So cute, cute, cute! How can I bear to leave you? I don’t want to disappear either, but..." he huffed out an exasperated sigh. "I guess it’s not my turn to accompany you here. It’s alright, I will be waiting for you at the end of the labyrinth, okay?"

Jin Jiuchi planted a kiss on his forehead, his tongue darting out to lick the tiny gash on the smooth skin. As the blood was cleaned, Shen Nianzu felt a little itch when the wound began to heal itself. He touched his forehead in a daze, looking up to see Jin Jiuchi give him a mischievous wink. "I will hand you over to them for now. After we’re done here, I will have Nian’er all to myself, won’t I?"

Shen Nianzu’s cheeks flushed as he comprehended the meaning behind those words, and he begrudgingly allowed himself to be placed on the ground, where the twins were eagerly waiting for him.

"You’d better take good care of him," Jin Jiuchi told them with a scowl.

"Of course," the twins retorted. "Nothing will happen to Nian’er with us here!"

With that, Jin Jiuchi took a step backward and waved at them, beaming from ear to ear. Golden sparks eroded his body bit by bit, until he gradually vanished without a trace.

On the side, a similar phenomenon was also happening to Noir.

"Wait, wait, Great God—" Gu Luoxin tried to catch his sleeves, but in the end he touched nothing but empty air as the man’s arm dissolved before his eyes.

Noir looked at his reddened eyes and let out a little snort, "What’s with that look? It’s not like I will die."

"B–But..." Gu Luoxin shifted his gaze to the young Noir who was witnessing this scene without batting an eyelid. He knew that both of them were the same person, but seeing the Noir by his side disappearing... somehow it made him feel like the man who had been together with him in the ’Gravity Shift’ and ’Dimensional Carousel’ was fading away. He just couldn’t help himself. Alas, he should have seen this coming when he knew that there would be two Noirs, right? What a fool he was to get all excited without realizing that one of them was bound to disappear!

Noir did not offer any farewell words like Jin Jiuchi. He merely turned his gaze to his younger self, and it seemed like a whole lot of conversation was unfolding in their brief eye contact.

"Don’t drop the egg," were the last words he spoke to Gu Luoxin before he, too, vanished into thin air.

A heavy silence hung in the air for a while, the only sounds coming from the twins who strived to console Shen Nianzu with clumsy words of reassurance. Then, Ying’s voice broke through the tension, reminding them of the pressing matters at hand.

"Let’s go. It’s time for us to get out of this damn labyrinth."