ATFBETIBM Chapter 256.2

The demon stumbled and without looking back, said, “Okay, okay, I’ll come when I hear you.”

Then in the next moment, he rushed into the neighboring room without turning his head.

S419M: [You’re bold, Lord Host. You must be really confident in your physical abilities.]

[Do you want to get yourself killed?]

Bai Lixin glanced at the room where the demon disappeared, then leisurely walked into his own room and closed the door. [It’s rare to encounter a Dijia such a setting. I couldn’t resist teasing him a bit.]

[If things go wrong, I can always act pitiful. Your esteemed host has been through ups and downs, no need to worry.]

S419M snickered: [What ups and downs? What trials and tribulations? Are they the kind of hardships that come from inverting the phoenix?]

*Inverting the phoenix is a metaphor for sex.

Bai Lixin: […]

After laughing awkwardly for a moment, he opened the chat window and found a message from Hongyue.

Bai Lixin: [Hongyue, I’m here.]

Hongyue: [?! You’re alive?]

Bai Lixin: […]

‘What kind of response is that?

Why are all these people trying to make me mad?’

Hongyue: [I’ve returned to the resort. What’s the situation on your side?]

Bai Lixin: [It’s hard to explain. Let’s just say I’ve come to a place that resembles heaven, taken to another space that’s a lot like paradise. By the way, did you see the tour guide when you got back to the resort?]

Hongyue: [Yes, I saw him. Same old fake smile, standing at the entrance of the lobby, looking creepy when he smiles.]

Bai Lixin: [Check the garden, see if the director’s backpack is still there.]

Hongyue: [Alright.]

The exchange between the two momentarily paused. The palace in this space not only resembled the resort, but even the room’s furnishings were similar.

Bai Lixin opened the wardrobe and found identical white clothes inside, no different from what others were wearing outside.

He randomly picked one and stood in front of the mirror, comparing the way the man in the mirror posed the same way he did. For some reason, he felt a faint sense of eeriness, as if the mirror’s lighting was a bit off.

He stepped forward and gently poked the mirror.

The young man inside the mirror extended an opposite hand and poked back.

Their fingertips touched, leaving a small gap between them.

Bai Lixin withdrew his hand in deep thought, draped the clothes over his arm, and looked earnestly at the young man in the mirror. The reflection did the same.

Yet strangely, the mirror-self seemed distant.

Not in terms of expression, but physically distant.

He stood about 30 centimeters away from the mirror, but the mirrored version seemed to be 60 centimeters away.

After staring at his reflection for a while, Bai Lixin finally took off his bathrobe and put on the same loose white clothes like everyone else.

Hongyue: [I looked for it, but the bag is gone.]

Through private chat, Bai Lixin got the answer he wanted and continued asking: [Is the camera also gone?]

Hongyue: [Oh, now that you mention it, it’s gone too. How did you know?]

[Amazing,] Hongyue continued, [Remember you said those missing bodies would appear? They really did. Each one hung in their respective rooms.]

Bai Lixin: [How did people react? Did they blame you again?]

Hongyue: [Sigh, not this time. After yesterday’s incident, they realized it was a supernatural event. They can’t really blame us with a clear conscience.]

[Right now, they don’t even have the energy to blame us; they’re busy blaming each other and passing the pot.]

[They blame Mr. Nick for suggesting the idea of “leaving,” and Mr. Nick talks about losing two children, so it’s tense. They treat each other as sworn enemies.]

Bai Lixin: [What about Mrs. Aisli? Is her belly still growing?]

Hongyue: [It’s grown even more, but she also looks very weak and pale like a corpse.]

Bai Lixin paused for two seconds: [I saw the tour guide in this space. They look identical. Be careful.]

He also advised, [The stone statues in the back garden might disappear. I’m not sure how many will vanish, so tell Emil to be prepared and to contact me if something happens.]

Hongyue: [What about you? Are you in danger?]

Bai Lixin: [I’m fine now. I found Jia’er, and Mr. Aisli is here too.]

Hongyue: [I’ll inform Emil about the statues. Be careful and don’t get into any trouble. We arrived here together and will leave together.]

Bai Lixin had a faint smile as he pictured Hongyue’s glare: [Okay, thanks for the concern.]

After ending the private chat, Bai Lixin went to the window.

He was on the second floor, and from there, he could see the apple orchard outside.

Many attendants in white clothes were bustling about in the orchard.

His gaze drifted over them until it settled on a girl tiptoeing to wipe an apple in the tree. Under the white sunlight, the beautiful bow on her head swayed as if a butterfly was about to take flight from it.

He then moved his eyes to another girl, who had a silk cloth wrapped around her neck.

Next was a man with a flower pinned to his chest…

Among these people, he recognized a few familiar faces, the attendants who had welcomed them to the resort.

Bai Lixin’s expression remained indifferent as he scanned the busy crowd. He didn’t feel bored at all; instead, he sat quietly by the window, observing their work the whole afternoon.

As night fell, the once lively back garden turned empty and silent.

Someone knocked on the door to his room.

Bai Lixin walked to the door and opened it to find the eldest son-in-law.

With a smile, the eldest son-in-law said, “You arrived just in time. Today is the annual Thanksgiving Day, and the master invites you to join the celebration.”

“This is my first time joining the festivities, but the seniors say it’s spectacular.”

Bai Lixin didn’t leave immediately; instead, he glanced at the neighboring room. “Where’s Miss Jia’er?”

My wife.

The eldest son-in-law smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “She’s already gone, waiting for you.”

Bai Lixin looked at the neighboring room again. “Alright.”

Following the eldest son-in-law through the long corridor, Bai Lixin asked, “Do you like it here?”

Finally touching on a topic that made him happy, the eldest son-in-law’s voice was filled with delight. “I love it! This place is like paradise!”

“We are all equal here, with no hierarchy, no flattery. Look,” he twisted his arm, “I can’t even feel pain here. There’s only joy and happiness, and no negative emotions like despair.”

Bai Lixin looked at the eldest son-in-law’s feet, and once more, he asked, “Is this place really heaven?”

The eldest son-in-law retorted, “Why wouldn’t it be? If it’s not heaven, then where is?”

As he spoke, he showed his wristwatch. Bai Lixin stared at the familiar watch for a moment before a peculiar smile crossed his lips. “You’re right, this is heaven.”

“After you went missing, Miss Nick was missing you terribly. She cried for you for a long time.”

The eldest son-in-law shrugged. “So what? Even if she misses me, it’s sinful. Sin must be eliminated. Besides, I never liked that fat pig to begin with. I only married her for a comfortable life. Our married life hasn’t been all that happy; she and her father often look down on me.”

“Do you know how hard it was living like that?”

Bai Lixin replied, “If it was hard for you, you could have left and got a divorce. Marriage is legal and free, and if you don’t like it, you’re free to leave, right?”

The eldest son-in-law turned his head, casting a cold look at Bai Lixin. “You make it sound so easy. If I divorced her, I’d have to remarry. That fat pig may look down on me, but she was still the best option I had for a comfortable life. If I divorced her, I would have ended up homeless.”

Bai Lixin retorted, “So, in the end, it’s your choice, and there’s no need to complain and blame others, right? The Nick family finds superiority in you, and you get a comfortable life in return.”

It’s a mutually beneficial deal.

Embarrassment flashed in the eldest son-in-law’s eyes briefly, and he glared at Bai Lixin with cold eyes. In the end, he simply said, “Let’s go.”

Bai Lixin asked, “What activities are there for Thanksgiving?”

The eldest son-in-law sneered, his expression turning eerie. “Oh, there are plenty. To thank Father God for creating this sacred and comfortable Eden for us, we shall to slay a demon for celebration. If we can dye the altar with the demon’s blood, it means a year of happiness and peace.”

“Just a few days ago, Eden caught an extraordinary demon. You’re really lucky, Bai Lixin.”

Upon hearing the word “demon,” an ominous premonition welled up in Bai Lixin’s mind.

Guided by the eldest son-in-law, they arrived at a spacious and crowded open area.

The spacious and desolate area had nothing except for a circular altar at its center. The originally empty space was now crowded with people. These people, dressed in splendid pure white garments, were gazing intently at the altar. Each of them knelt on the ground as if waiting for something.

The eldest son-in-law wore an excited expression as he skillfully maneuvered through the crowd with Bai Lixin and they quickly reached the front row. He pointed to the circular altar above and said, “In a moment, the demon will slowly ascend from beneath the altar. Then the master will come out and pierce the demon’s body with a sacred sword. Once the demon’s blood dyes this area red, the most important ritual of Thanksgiving will be complete.”

Upon hearing the eldest son-in-law’s explanation, a person nearby lifted their head from kneeling and said, “It’s your first time, right? You’re really lucky today.”

Bai Lixin asked, “Why is that?”

The person replied, “In the past, we only summoned ordinary demons from the Demon Realm and used death energy to lure them here. This year, we were exceptionally fortunate to accidentally capture a demon of the Demon King lineage.”

“With such a high-level demon being sacrificed, not only the coming year but the next few years will also bring auspicious signs.”

The eldest son-in-law widened his eyes with exaggerated excitement and exclaimed, “It’s a Demon King! The master is truly amazing!”

As the eldest son-in-law spoke, a drumming sound suddenly echoed from above. The eldest son-in-law quickly lowered his head, pulling Bai Lixin down as well. “Lower your head, the sacrifice is about to begin!”

With the sound of the drum, the stone statues started moving in this space and the previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent. Bai Lixin discreetly raised his head and saw a triangular hole appear beneath the circular altar, and a cross slowly ascended from the hole, bound to it was a figure.

The figure had beautiful golden curly hair that gleamed like the sun when illuminated by the surrounding flames. Black chains firmly bound the person’s arms and legs, fixing them to the cross. Despite the perilous situation, the man’s expression remained indifferent, with no trace of fear, only disdain and mockery.

As the man’s eyes scanned the crowd coldly, they suddenly locked eyes with a pair of panicked eyes.

Those panicked eyes were still as dazzling as before in the darkness. Just half a day ago, the owner of those eyes had confessed to them, proclaiming him to be the most outstanding “woman” in the world.

Now, seeing them like this, the person likely knew his identity as a demon.

The panic quickly faded from the young man’s eyes, and he swiftly averted his gaze.

Now that the young man knew his true identity, he would probably give up on him.

He didn’t expect to be caught in this situation just after taking a nap. He went to sleep on a bed and woke up bound to a cross.

However, this idiot seemed to have underestimated his strength, thinking that he could be trapped so easily.

The demon glanced at the young man again, and found that the young man was still looking at him intently. His eyes were full of worry.

The demon quickly looked away again.

Now it’s worry, later it will be disgust.

The young man will see him turn this place into a mass of purgatory, and by then, the young man will surely hate him.

The demon let out a self-mocking smile when suddenly, numerous panicked cries rang out. He looked up and saw that the young man had somehow managed to stand up and was rushing towards him without any regard for his safety.

The people around had not anticipated this unexpected turn of events, and by the time they realized it, the young man had already reached the demon.

Their eyes met again, and the young man gave the shocked demon a slight smile before forcefully breaking the chains that bound him.

Amidst the astonished exclamations of the crowd, the young man carried the demon and ran wildly.

Demon: “You…what are you doing?”

Bai Lixin: “Can’t you see? I’m saving my wife! After finally finding my wife, how could I let them demean her?”

The demon pursed him lips. “You do realize I’m a demon, right?”

This fool.

Bai Lixin responded, “I know, so what? As long as you’re my wife, I’ll cherish and protect you.”

The demon looked dazed. “???”

‘What did you say? Can you say it again?!’

————————————

In the live broadcast room

[ God Xin, the hero, saves the beauty, oops, no, the beauty saves the hero, wait, that doesn’t sound right…]

[Hahaha, the demon’s final expression was simply saying: Stupid human.]

[He probably never imagined that pure and innocent God Xin would speak so bluntly.]

[The words may be blunt, but the meaning is not wrong.]

[Some people are blunt to snakes, some are blunt to spiders, and our God Xin just wants to be blunt to the demon. What’s wrong with that? He just wants to dote on his wife.]

[The demon’s expression was just like seeing an idol’s image collapse.]

————————–

Bai Lixin ran ahead while the crowd chased after them. The demon stared at the thick chains on the cross and then glanced at the seemingly frail young man. Suddenly, he felt that he might… be an idiot.

The private chat suddenly pinged.

Bai Lixin opened it to find a series of messages from Emil.

Emil: [Help! Fuck, fuck, fuck, all the Holy Mother statues have disappeared! Isn’t this too poisonous?]

Bai Lixin: […]

‘Emil’s really unlucky. It wouldn’t be because of my crow’s mouth, right?’