Jin Jiuchi went on a mad rampage. He stood before Shen Nianzu akin to an impenetrable fortress and cut down every rfolk guard that rushed towards them, not caring even if he got hurt in the process.
In the end, he even punched the other Shen Nianzu on the face, sending the latter flying a few ters away. Nonetheless, he still felt like it was not enough – how could one punch be enough for the imposter who dared to take Nian’er appearance? At the very least, he must break every single bone in his limbs! – but at that mont, everything froze around them as if ti had been suspended.
Shen Nianzu knew that the test was over, because he could feel the impurities in his body dissipate. His whole body suddenly felt light, and even his breathing beca smoother. Disregarding the fact that he still retained this hideous look, he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Jin Jiuchi’s middle, pleading, "Enough...! Da Shen... Jin Jiuchi, that’s enough! You can stop now!"
He choked on his sobs, unable to stop his tears. They soaked into Jin Jiuchi’s shirt before they could turn into pearls. He was overwheld with joy, yet at the sa ti he also felt distressed to death upon seeing the increasing wounds on Jin Jiuchi’s body.
He rested his forehead against Jin Jiuchi’s tense and solid back and relished in the scorching heat that emanated from him, feeling the chill in his body recede as if a dazzling ray of sunlight had penetrated into the billows of dark clouds. He could feel how hard and fast Jin Jiuchi’s heartbeat was under his palms, his chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath he took. Slowly, he lowered his hand to grasp Jin Jiuchi’s clenched fist, coaxing it open before entwining their fingers together. He whispered, uncertain whether he was saying it to Jin Jiuchi or himself, "It’s okay, it’s over now. Everything is okay..."
However, his words backfired as they seed to provoke Jin Jiuchi even more. "How could it be okay?!" He roared in fury and spun around to face Shen Nianzu. "They hurt you so badly, and you—" he was stumped upon seeing the wounds on Shen Nianzu’s body had begun to heal. "Y–Y–You’re okay now?" He was so shocked that he stuttered.
Unable to help it, Shen Nianzu burst out into laughter amidst the tears. He could see his reflection in Jin Jiuchi’s eyes, but this ti he no longer shied away, for he knew that no matter how hideous he looked, he would still be the sa Shen Nianzu in Jin Jiuchi’s eyes.
With halting words, he told Jin Jiuchi about the Goddess he had t, and the task she had given. However, until the end, he still could not figure out how Jin Jiuchi managed to recognize him. "How did you do it?" he asked curiously. "I’m in a different body now, so it’s not like you can identify by my sll or heartbeat."
"Sll or heartbeat?" Jin Jiuchi scoffed in disdain. "Am I such a shallow person? Of course, I only need one glance to know which one is the real Nian’er!"
But Shen Nianzu remained skeptical, his gut instinct telling him that there was sothing more that Jin Jiuchi did not tell him. Under his scrutinizing gaze, Jin Jiuchi cleared his throat and averted his eyes out of... guilt? He plastered a huge smile on his face and hurried to catch his hands, but this kind of deanor only convinced Shen Nianzu even more that the man had a guilty conscience.
"Nian’er, rember the ti when I... no, when my brother bit you?"
It took one second for Shen Nianzu to comprehend what Jin Jiuchi was talking about, and his eyes instantly flew wide in shock when the mory rushed back to him. "You an..."
Jin Jiuchi lowered his gaze and gently traced the curve of Shen Nianzu’s neck with the tip of his finger. His touch was light and airy, barely making any contact, but every inch of Shen Nianzu’s body was too sensitive right now and that single stroke was akin to a jolt of electricity down his spine, eliciting a gasp from his lips. Jin Jiuchi looked even more satisfied with his response, like a hunting wolf that had ensnared his prey.
"Nian’er, you asked what I have taken from you, didn’t you? In fact, I didn’t take anything. I just... forged an invisible bond between us. From then on, wherever you go, I will be able to find you, even if we’re separated by worlds or ti itself. Even if you have taken another form, even if you have turned into ashes or vanished into air, I will be able to recognize you... as long as it’s you."
Shen Nianzu’s jaws hung agape. Of all answers, he certainly had not seen this one coming. Looking at the roguish smirk on the corner of Jin Jiuchi’s lips, he could no longer tell whether the one speaking before him was the silver-eyed Jin Jiuchi or black-eyed Jin Jiuchi. It seed like the lines that separated both of them had beco more and more indistinct.
Jin Jiuchi raised his eyelids, showing his pair of heterochromatic eyes, and asked in a careful tone, "Is Nian’er angry?"
Shen Nianzu should be. Even though Jin Jiuchi sugar-coated his words, in fact he had just admitted to marking Shen Nianzu without permission— and he had done it in their first Cycle when they had only known each other for a short few days! What was this if not insane and borderline obsessive?! However, Shen Nianzu was baffled to discover that he could not find even an ounce of anger within him. Instead, he felt relieved to know the truth, perplexed for the man whom he had taken as a foolish husky turned out to be a scheming wolf, and as for the rest... his emotions were too jumbled for him to comprehend one by one. After all, it was because of this bond that Jin Jiuchi could identify him, or else he could not imagine what would have beco of him now.
Shen Nianzu regarded the man before him with a complicated look, "You..."
Alas, before he could finish his sentence, the space around them began to crumble apart, and familiar white sticky tendrils shot out from the ocean floor to tangle around him, pulling him away from Jin Jiuchi!
Jin Jiuchi’s pupils shrank in shock, "Nian’er!"
"I’m fine!" Shen Nianzu quickly said as the tendrils continued to wrap around his body, layer by layer. "I’ve told you before, this is the tamorphosis!" Looking at the distraught man who reached out for him, Shen Nianzu felt a burst of warmth spreading across his chest, and he showed a heartfelt smile, whispering, "Thank you and... see you again soon, Jin Jiuchi..."
The next second, the cocoon engulfed him whole.
***
Gasp!
Gu Luoxin and Noir opened their eyes at the sa ti, their breaths heavy as if they had just run a marathon. In an instant, Gu Luoxin leapt to his feet and scanned the sea as the faint hues of yellow and purple erged from the horizon, heralding the arrival of sunrise. "W–What’s going on?! How did I lose consciousness all of a sudden?!"
Nearby, Noir clutched his head as he stumbled, shaking his head to sober himself up. "I feel like I had a dream..."
Gu Luoxin tried to recall the events leading up to this mont, but his mory seed clouded as if a hazy mist had descended over his mind.
As far as he could rember, he and Noir had been attempting to breach the cocoon when a vertigo struck him. And then... he let out a soft gasp in realization, "It seems like I’ve been dreaming too! I dreamt that Xiao Shen took on the role of the ruler of Atlantis, and there was a strange cursed creature claiming to be the Goddess! And then..." he smacked his head a few tis in frustration. "Ah, why can’t I rember it now?!"
Noir was stunned when he heard Gu Luoxin’s words. "I had the exact sa dream..."
Gu Luoxin snapped to him in shock, "No way, you too?!"
Both of them stared at each other in bewildernt, when all of a sudden, a loud rumble echoed from the cocoon nearby. Gu Luoxin’s attention was imdiately diverted, and his eyes almost bulged out of his sockets when he saw a crack appearing on the otherwise impenetrable cocoon.
Without warning, soone was spat out from within, plumting into the sea with a resounding splash!
"T–That’s Da Shen!" Gu Luoxin was beside himself with joy as he commanded his yellowed bandages to haul Jin Jiuchi out of the water. "Da Shen is back, Da Shen is back! How about—" the rest of his words were stuck in his throat when he raised his head and saw the cocoon begin to nd itself.
Wait... what about Shen Nianzu?!
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