AN: Just for clarification, my boys didn't bang. It was just one-sided handsies and bj's from LF. XR is an obedient student and remained still as he was commanded to.

*****

Fear is a scary emotion.

When in its grips, people will do crazy things, things that no rational mind would ever come up with. It also tended to blind people to certain facts. 

The obvious escape route staring them in the face? Gone from their vision!

The obvious idea of the double tap? Huh? Whos a double? What's that?

But for the first time in history, fear had deafened a man to the words being spoken. Liang Fei couldn't be sure how safe he was just then, as he was sure he'd been falling to his death just moments before.

Yet now he felt the warmth of someone's embrace... in the middle of the air.

Surely he was crazy.

So in hopes that his insanity would keep him from splattering onto the pavement, he shook his head, denying his own urge to open his eyes to confirm whether or not he was about to die.

Seeing his master's reaction, Xieren felt good. Was his master being shy? How adorable!

"So you choose to remain asleep then?" He teased, placing a hand of the elder's cheek. Ah, it was so soft. "Then allow this lord to kiss you, so that you may awaken to my visage."

Xieren leaned in slowly, wanting to enjoy this moment. Floating above the city, with his beloved master in his arms, about to enjoy their first kiss under the moonlight.

It was a beautiful scene.

Yet Liang Fei furrowed his brows decisively.

Fear was one to deafen the ears but not so much that he missed the danger in those words. So Liang Fei heard those words and reacted. Not because of the words themselves but familiar feeling.

There was only one person who made threats like that.

"Xuetian, don't mess with me! I won't be your shield again." He snapped, opening his eyes to glare at the person in front of him. Yet, despite his expectation, the person in front of him was not the friend from his previous life but a more recent one. "Young master? It's you?"

One can't blame Liang Fei for his assumption. He has very few friends and his relationship with girls was shortlived, so affectionate words like the ones tossed his way are few and far between. As such, the only person he knew to make statements like that was his loose friend.

During their teen years, when the young man was particularly stressed and wanted to get some peace from girls, Xuetian chose to play a joke on the girls. Rumors about Liang Fei and Zuetian had already reached intimate levels so the young man chose to use it to keep the girls at bay.

For a few months, Xuetian would act a lot more familiar with Liang Fei, hugging and sticking close to the stoic teen whenever any particularly stubborn girl was around. It had taken Liang Fei weeks to notice and when he did, he was pissed.

Mostly because he disliked being used in such a way without his permission.

Afterward, Xuetian made jokes about it, offering to take the place of any of Liang Fei's recent partners. Liang Fei didn't think much of this. Xuetian was just that kind of guy after all. Sex was sex, no matter what.

(AN: His friend isn't gay. He just a hedonist who likes winding LF up with his dirty talk.)

All that talk stopped, however, after they're first time drinking. Whatever happened that night made the usually lecherous man cease his teasing. Liang Fei didn't care either way since such talk made it hard for him to court women.

But it was for this reason that the elder had called out to his friend, despite knowing he was in a fantasy world. Who else but that shameless man would say such a thing to another man, after all?

Xieren, that other person, felt his fingers clench as his master's words sunk in.

Who the fuck is Xuetian!? He thought, even as he smiled serenely down at the man in his arms. He'd caught the elder by the waist and the two were now hovering high above the building, hip to hip.

"Ah, so you do remember me, then?" He replied through gritted teeth. Young master? Did he forget about everything that had occurred? He still thought he was some random young master?!

Ah, how daring his master was.

Liang Fei thought this young master's eyes looked strange, as it slightly seemed to be twitching but shook the thought away. It was dark and he looked to be smiling so he was probably happy.

I mean, who would someone smile if they weren't happy, right?

"Ah, yes! You are the young master from before." He replied, recognizing the voice from the party days prior. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yes, so long it has been right?" He said, his word yielding a veiled meaning. "I missed you, Shizun."

"Eh? Shi- Oh!" Liang Fei cried out, feeling the night air hit them. He moved closer, unconsciously shivering as the wind blew through him. His robes were not meant for winter. "M-might we continue this conversation... inside?"

Xieren stared down at the elder, feeling reluctant. He had his master in his arms yet he was calling out to men other than him. He wanted nothing more than to press the matter, to get the explanation for those words now.

Yet seeing the man shivering in the cold, his body unable to keep itself warm via cultivation, made his heart ache. He couldn't allow his master to suffer, even if he partially deserved it for leaving him.

"Anything you wish" Xieren pulled the elder closer,  sending some of his energy into him to keep him warm. As he did so, he still found nothing within him. No golden core to speak of.

Yet he did sense a power, not within but around the elder. How curious.

All the while, Liang Fei clung tightly to Xieren's robe, the picture of serenity and cool. His thoughts were unknown to any looking upon his visage. On the inside though.

Don't look down. Don't look down. For the love of God, don't look down! He thought, suppressing the urge to wrap himself around his savior. If not for how unrefined such an act would be, the elder's arms and legs would be wrapped around Xieren.

He really didn't like high places, wuwu~

Once they landed within the building, Liang Fei moved to escape from Xieren's embrace, only to be pulled back in. The elder turned to his student with furrowed brows.

"Are you not done holding me?" He asked, again attempting to escape, yet as a regular human, he didn't even make the man twitch. "We are on the ground now."

"No, Shizun has yet to recognize me."

"I can't recognize someone I can't see." He pointed out, sighing. Truly, why did he have to deal with difficult people?

"Ah, but if you do, who knows when I can hold you again?" Xieren whined, pressing himself close to his master. Even under all the dirt and grime, his master's scent trickled through, pleasing the junior.

Having his master in his arms was the best feeling ever, especially since his master wouldn't allow him to touch him before. He had really wanted to, but his orders...

Damn it, now I'm getting hard again. Xieren buried his face in Liang Fei's shoulder, resisting the urge to rub up against the man. With his (LF) back to Xieren's chest, they were in a very suggestive position that the juniors lecherous mind had lots of thoughts on.

If they were naked, it wouldn't take much to-

"You are being unreasonable." Liang Fei unintentionally interrupted Xieren's thoughts, the fantasy being woven with his mind being dashed as his words sunk in. "Release me. Now."

"...Fine." He grumbled, feeling wronged.  What was wrong with holding him? After what they'd done together (mostly what his master had done to him) surely it was fine to embrace the man. "Shizun is too mean."

His fantasies of a naked Shizun were not something he wished to stop thinking about but for his master's sake and for the sake of getting answers, he was willing to curb his lusts long enough to talk.

Then, they would continue where they had left off the other night. 

The elder, unaware of his spotlight in the younger man's sexual fantasies, continued on as if nothing had happened. Perhaps one day, he'd recognize the intense look he received as something other than annoyance.

But that day was not today.

"So I've been told." He retorted, turning to Xieren. He frowned, thinking he was forgetting something about this man but couldn't place what. "Now, would you mind explaining why you were out there?"

"Saving you from falling to your death." Xieren shot back, his attention finally returning to the present. He'd forgotten about that. Seeing his master hanging off the ledged like that was hair raising, especially since he knew the man had no cultivation within him. "Really, how could you endanger yourself like that?"

"It was important." Liang Fei replied, feeling confused at this man's anger. Why did he care?

"More important than your life?!"

"I can't say." Liang Fei truly couldn't. Without the pedant, he would be defenseless. Yet if he died, the pendant would be useless.

It was quite the conundrum.

"You!" Xieren reached out, wanting to grab this man and... hug the stupid out of him. Why? Why was his master always so indifferent about his own safety?! It was frustrating!

Meanwhile, Liang Fei continued to stare at his companion, feeling a nagging sense of familiarity. And not just because they met a few nights prior.

"By the way... you look familiar." 

"Shizun doesn't recognize me?" Xieren felt his heart drop, wondering if perhaps this was a joke. Surely, his master hadn't forgotten about him. "Don't you remember what happened the other night?!"

All that had been said and done, there was no way his master forgot about it!

"The other..." Liang Fei mumbled, trying to sort through his thoughts. His memories of that night were foggy at best. The last thing he recalled was sharing a drink with a lady. Before that, his thoughts had been about- "Ah! Are you... Xieren?"

Looking him over, the elder finally remembered why he drank to begin with. He'd been suspecting his companion was his student and got distracted by the lady. 

Seeing the recognition, Xieren felt a bit better, happy to hear he hadn't been forgotten. He knew alcohol made one's memory fuzzy but he was sure his master wouldn't have forgotten about all that.

"Oh, now you remember your so-called precious student." He grumbled, still feeling a bit aggrieved. His master had left him behind after all. "A few days away and you forget all about me."

"I didn't..." He tried to respond but couldn't really think of an answer. How was he to explain something he had very little memory of? "I never got a chance to confirm it but I did suspect you were him."

Xieren frowned. Didn't get a chance? What does he mean by that?

"May I... check?" Liang Fei drew close, distracting Xieren from his thoughts. Seeing his lovely master, coming closer of his own accord, how could Xieren refuse.

"Y-you may." He forced out, feeling nervous. The last time they were this close, Shizun had been whispering lewd things into his ears so his body was reacting to his proximity.

Like before, Liang Fei pushed Xieren's hair away, revealing a devastatingly handsome face graced with a pair of red and gold eyes. Liang Fei sighed with relief.

"Thank you." He said, moving away. "It really is you. You've grown quite a bit."

Xieren was clenching his fist so hard, he felt the tiny drip of blood seeping through his fingers. All of this, his words and his actions, were making Xieren think of less... pure thoughts and it was becoming hard to focus. Seeing his master, his eyes gleaming with pride and joy at seeing his student again, was doing things.

You've grown quite a bit, he'd said.

In more ways than one, Shizun. He thought, thankful his robes were loose enough to hide his erection from the elder man. If he was noticed, Xieren wasn't sure he could resist pressing the older man down and ravishing him.

Then he could feel how much he'd grown rather than just see it.

As Xieren was thinking about those things, Liang Fei came to notice his own appearance. He was filthy and from what he could smell, probably made garbage smell pleasant in comparison.

Ah, I suppose that's what I get for trying to rough it for three days in the woods. He huffed, feeling embarrassed at letting his student have to deal with such a stench. It must have been unpleasant.

"Might I have use of your bath, Xieren?"

***

After a croaking affirmative from his student, Liang Fei found himself in a large room with an equally large bath. Seeing the size, he began to wonder if the room wasn't in fact for a group. Why else would there be so much room?

"It looks like you could fit a sports team here." He muttered, relaxing as the warm water enveloped his naked body. After days of being stuck in the cold, it was so nice to be warm, he couldn't help let out a moan.

"Shizun?!"

From outside, Xieren sat just outside the door, his senses attuned to his elder. He knew his master had spent the last few days in the cold and worried he'd get sick and pass out, so he made sure to station himself nearby.

But if the man-made sounds like that, he might now be able to remain outside for long.

"I'm fine." The elder called out, reassuring the man. Truly, he was glad his Xieren was still as sweet as before.

He was such a sweet child.

Meanwhile, said sweet child was trembling outside the door, the splashes he heard from the other side eliciting images he really wished he could participate in.

The desire to join his master in the bath raged through him. He hadn't seen his master naked in over a decade. He wasn't sure he could resist temptation if he went in there. His master, his pale skin flushed pink from the heat with water dripping down his form. If given the chance, he would definitely

Then he could finally return the favor from the other night, to hear Shizun's echoing cries reverberating through him.

Ack! He had to stop! If he thought any more about, there would be nothing to stop him from bursting in there and taking his master under him. With how aroused he was feeling, he may very well not release the man for hours, if not days.

No, definitely days.

But he needed answers first and foremost. Interrogation now, lovemaking later!

"Shizun!" He called out, his heart racing as he forced himself to speak. "... About the other night, I-"

"Other night?" The elders voiced echoed, making him sound far away. "Oh, at the brothel! My apologies for that. I treated you badly, didn't I?"

Liang Fei felt quite embarrassed by how distant he'd been toward his student. Recalling all the times his student had tried to get his attention, only to be dismissed... Ah, it was hard to think about.

"Badly?" Xieren's went fuzzy, his mind drifting toward the evening they'd shared. It was anything but bad. "N-no, I quite enjoyed myself... really."

If all that was being treated badly, Xieren wasn't sure he could survive what being treated well would entail. Just the thought had him pressing down hard on his erection.

"Truly?" Liang Fei couldn't see his student but could tell he was happy. How strange. "You are quite easily pleased then."

Only if it's Shizun.

"I-I wanted to talk about that night actually." He called out, finally speaking his mind. He couldn't hold back anymore. "I... I thought that... perhaps Shizun knows how I feel about him."

Feel about him? Thinking it over, he wondered how Xieren did feel about him. He must not be resentful since they were speaking on such terms but he couldn't help but worry still. Xieren was, after all, the protagonist.

Since things had followed the plot (as far as he knew), it stood to reason that he might still face the same fate as the real Shao Liang Fei. He definitely didn't want that.

Heck, if he had been drunk with Xieren around, he might have expediated his demise. Who knows what horrors he'd subjected this poor child to?

What if he was hated?!

"Xieren!" 

"Y-yes!" Xieren had been building himself up, trying to speak the words in his heart when he heard his master's shout. It surprised him, hearing his master speak in that unfamiliar but pleasant voice.

"Do you dislike me?"

"D-dislike?"

How could he think that?! Didn't he understand Xieren's feelings for him? Frowning, he listened to his master's words.

"Yes"

"I... I don't dislike you. Shizun is a kind person and is my precious master."

To him, Shizun was the best thing this world had to offer. While he still had some feelings for others, his love for his master overshadowed them like the moon obscured even the tallest mountains. There was no one else who could take up so much of his heart but him.

"Even though I left you behind?"

 Xieren scowled as he thought about all the tears he'd cried. How heartbroken he'd felt, knowing he was too weak to have saved the man.

How much he had hated Shao Liang Fei for leaving him alone in the world

"Shizun didn't intend to do so, right?" Je snapped, his expression dark enough to instill fear even to the most hardened demon. His feelings from so long ago... he had buried them yet to asked that so casually was quite hurtful.

Yet Xieren already knew the answer, recalling what had been said before but he wanted to hear it again. His master had been drunk then so perhaps they weren't as honest.

Liang Fei stood up, shocked by his words. Surely Xieren didn't think he wanted that, did he?

"Never!"

He had planned on dying later but there was no reason to mention that at the moment.

Xieren let out a breath, feeling relieved despite his confidence in his master.

"Then as long as Shizun doesn't leave me again, I won't dislike you ever."

Well, it's not like he could leave anyway. Liang Fei concluded, sighing with resignation. He'd already died in his own world. His family had moved on so there was nothing for him to go back to.

Even so, Liang Fei felt only a small twinge of sadness over the matter. He missed his family but knowing they were happy was more important than his own feelings. Moreover, he'd have chosen to come back to this world even if the option to be revived was on the table.

The four years he'd spent with Xieren and everyone had been the most fun he'd ever had. It was stressful since the looming threat of death was there but he'd enjoyed everything. He got to live his dream of being a teacher. He got to watch his precious and adorable students grow and change from children to young adults.

While he was sad to have died, he didn't regret his trip to this crazy novel.

"En." He hummed, hoping he could keep his promise this time around. "I will dedicate my time to making it up to you, the last 10 years."

***

Upon finishing his bath, Liang Fei wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. His body was warm and comfortable so the next thing should have been to sleep. Except...

"Shizun, why don't we go and get something to eat." Xieren offered, presenting a table of food to the elder. "You must be starving."

Liang Fei said nothing, his eyes riveted on the food before him. Steam came off it, so it must have been newly prepared, right?

The food was new. To keep himself from entering the bath where his master leisurely bathed. Xieren had left to order more food. The food he'd prepared before had grown cold and he was sure his master would be hungry.

Looking at his intense stare, he figured his master was indeed hungry. Without a word, Shizun sat down, waiting for Xieren to sit as well. Despite his desires, Xieren chose to sit across from the man.

If he wanted answers, it was best he not get distracted by Shizun's scent.

"Shizun?"

"Hm?" He hummed, already eating a leisurely but swift pace. If left alone, the table may very well be cleared in a few minutes.

"A-about the other night..." He tried again, wanting to settle the matter.

Liang Fei flinched, feeling guilty. Xieren kept bringing it up for some reason. He worried about what he might have done while drunk.

What if he'd done something unimaginable!? 

He'd been locked in a closet last time so perhaps he...

No, he couldn't bear to think about it.

"Oh, that. I'm truly sorry." He said, hoping to put the matter aside. He didn't want to know what stupid thing he'd done. "I must have troubled you with my behavior. It must have been inconvenient for you."

"N-no, I... I quite enjoyed myself." He assured, feeling a bit flustered talking about it. "Shizun and I..."

Liang Fei furrowed his brows, confused.

Eh? Enjoyed himself? Was Liang Fei's drunken escapades that amusing? Part of him was curious but another sensed that he would be greatly embarrassed if he learned what he did.

It was best to just let the matter stay buried.

"Let's not talk about it." He concluded, waving it off. "Such talk is unbecoming of a master and his disciple."

Liang Fei went back to eating, enjoying his meal as Xieren went silent. He didn't think much of it. Xieren was the type to stay quiet sometimes. His student, however, was trying to come to terms with his master's words.

Was this... was this Shizun telling him to let the matter go? To forget about what had happened between them? Xieren's fist clenched, anger bubbling up within him.

Forget? How could he possibly forget all that? While he hadn't been allowed to touch, he loved every minute of their time together. What he saw, what he heard, each moment was etched into his heart like a brand.

Yet he was to forget about it!?

He absolutely couldn't do that. Each second of that night had been burned into his bones, bring him comfort and joy with every remembrance. Yet seeing the elders reluctance to talk about it, Xieren couldn't press the matter.

If Shizun wanted him to forget, that was impossible. He couldn't follow that order. But if the elder just wished not to talk about it, that he could do, albeit reluctantly.

The table fell silent, the only sounds being the bustle of the crowd outside the window and the sounds of their meal. Liang Fei only briefly considered how things had suddenly become uncomfortable between the two, the air tense.

When had that happened, he wondered. Yet what could the elder possibly do about it? He was no good at starting conversations.

Yet lucky for him, Xieren had resolved his feelings and restarted the conversation.

"Shizun?" 

"Yes?"

"Why are you mortal?" This question had been his number 2 since discovering his master's identity. While he didn't dislike this new look, he had many questions about ti.

"Oh..." Liang Fei placed his bowl onto the table, unsure how to respond. He hadn't thought of a response yet. "That is... hard to explain."

"I can imagine." Xieren looked on coldly, not wanting his master to try and divert his attention. Had his master had a different response to his previous question, he might have allowed it.

He and Shizun could have confirmed their mutual feelings toward one another but since his master wanted to pretend nothing happen, Xieren would not let this matter lie.

"You look completely different, as if you became someone else entirely." He continued, watching the older man closely. "I can't sense any Qi in you, as if your body was cultivated in a void."

That isn't wrong though. Liang Fei was sure there was no Qi in his modern world. If there were, surely there would be people who could cultivate and do amazing stuff like the cultivators in the novel.

"I suppose you could say that." He replied, picking his food back up. As he had no response, there was nothing to say on the matter.

"...Shizun, you died." He growled, watching the man flinch lightly.

He'd gotten a reaction.

"Yes."

"Yet here you are, alive and well."

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you come looking for me?" This was the question he'd been dying to ask since he learned about his master's return. So long ago, when he was still a young teen, he'd waited for his master's return. Even after hearing the news of the elder's demise, he refused to believe it.

He had to see it for himself to believe it. But he was too weak to even get close so he never got to put his master's body to rest. who knows what those bastards did to his master's corpse.

And there was nothing he could do to save his master or his dignity.

Yet here in front of him, his master sat, watching him impassively as if no time had passed. As if his student was still bright-eyed and caring toward others. As if he wasn't the current demon king residing over thousands of demonic entities with a ruthless iron fist.

No, his master just saw him as Xieren, his student.

Part of him felt somewhat happy about that but mostly, he was angry about all the lost time.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, seeing the hurt on his students' face. "I've been meaning to look for you since my... revival but couldn't. I only learned how much time passed a few days ago."

"How...?"

"I only awoke in this body a little over a week ago."

"A week ago?"

Xieren recalled that strange dream he'd had around that time, about seeing his master's ghost from far away. It was the reason he'd chosen to leave the castle in the first place, seeing it as a sign to pay his respects before he ended everything.

Yet if his master's words were true, perhaps... perhaps it was fates way of telling him that his reason for being alive had returned to him. That happiness was within reach.

"So, you went looking for me?"

Liang Fei nodded.

"Yes, but I had no idea how to start so I just focused on survival first."

"And bumped into Xinyi." He concluded, seeing the story play out in his head. 

Liang Fei frowned, confused. "How did-"

"I went looking for you too, Shizun."

"After almost killing me." He hummed, slightly amused by the series of events. He hadn't been sure how his second chance at life was going to go but it had certainly been eventful.

It wasn't fun but definitely interesting in Liang Fei's opinion.

Xieren on the other hand, felt horrified as he pieced together his master's story. He had no doubt in his master's explanation, Q's freebie making him accept things a lot easier. So he was only left with his own revelations.

When he thought about how fate had brought them together not once but twice, Xieren felt deep regret for his past actions. Had he not underestimated his master, he might have truly killed him back then.

"I-I'm so sorry about that!" He cried, bowing his head and slamming it into the table. The surface shook even as he didn't even flinch. "Please punish me!"

Elsewhere in the world, a younger sister would be shaking her head at his maltreatment of wood. Even when it was chopped down and carved into a table, her baby brother was still abusive to trees.

Despite this act, Liang Fei looked on indifferently, his mind unreadable.

"I should. But doing so now would be pointless" He stated, yawning softly as his stomach had now been filled. "Neither of us knew who the other was so there is no reason to hold grudges."

The elder yawned once more, all the days of walking and climbing catching up with him now that he was warm and fed. Despite him wishing to exit the room with the decorum and grace of his previous incarnation, Liang Fei's body was but a mere mortal.

So he quickly fell asleep upright, tipping over to fall onto the floor. Luckily for him, he was the only human in the room, so he was quickly caught long before his body hit the floor. Soft snores brushed over Xieren's chest as the elder rested serenely.

It would take a couple of minutes before his master started getting mobile so Xieren enjoyed the feeling for a while. With his arms around him and the faint flush on the elder's cheek, one could easily assume an intimate scene would occur soon.

Yet his master so innocently placed himself in the arms of a beast!

O-oi, Shizun, you can't just fall asleep like that! This disciple has strong morals but with such a cute master around, how could he resist pushing for more?

Yet as he drew close, Shizun's previous words rang out in his head.

Xuetian, don't play jokes like this again.

Again... So Shizun had kissed another man before? Was it this Xuetian? He claimed he wasn't a lover but the man must have been close for them to make such jokes.

He'd never seen anyone close to Shizun. He was usually so mysterious and distant, as if apart from the rest of the world. There were even times Xieren thought his master might be a celestial being, choosing to mingle with mortals on a whim.

Yet there was someone out there so familiar with his master that the first thing to come to mind was them.

He would definitely find out who that person was when the elder awoke. In the meantime, Xieren carried Liang Fei to bed, happy to be able to share a bed at long last.

He only wished it was more in line with his fantasies but that could wait.

***

Elsewhere in the universe, far above the world of {Eyes of Vengence}, a certain god was pacing the floor, frustrated to all hell.

Those few systems close by remained silent, knowing their boss was just stressed but still fearful of his reproach. Their senior, System Q had already been punished and reassigned, so the room was quiet.

They almost wished the noisy fluff ball was still around so that it could distract their boss from the way things were going. 

The stories were all in disarray due to the two senior systems messing with their hosts and making things chaotic. While their boss was kind and perfect, he was also a being with an infamous rage that scared many who dared touch his bottom line

That line being his role as the god of reincarnation.

If things got dire, the only way to save their hides would be to call upon the lady boss to save them.

Meanwhile, said boss was trying to come up with a solution to his latest problem.

Xieren.

This damn brat was supposed to be ruthlessly and efficiently terrorizing the populace in a bid to avenge himself. He should have harems the size of several sports teams, all filled with the most lovely and varied beauties his creator could imagine.

Yet the brat insisted on lusting after some guy!

He wasn't doing anything he was supposed to. Who the fuck was Han Caifeng?! He wasn't in the original script yet here it was. 

Hell, the brat had been planing some scary stuff for the world before that host showed up again. Be evil. That was fine. Torture some assholes who kicked you when you were down. He was all for that.

But you can't just go and decide the world should end just cause some old guy kicked the can.

Was it his fault for letting his systems send two transmigrators into the same storyline? System's Shi and Q were idiots but perhaps it was partially his fault for not supervising the host himself sometimes.

Chongsheng might be a god but even his power was limited by his authority. He was the god of reincarnation and ruled over the various realms that were seen by most humans as 'stories'. His authority was limited to those realms. The only reason he could do as he did was because of his wife, the goddess of fate.

His control over his hosts was limited as well.

He was capable of reading the thoughts of the character Xieren because he was part of the 'narrative' so to speak. His thoughts were as clear as the setting or the story's title. But Liang Fei was different. As a host, he was separate from the novel and therefor an unknown for the god.

This was actually the reason he'd made systems in the first place. Without them, Chongsheng had no means of manipula- guiding the host along the path he wanted. Once a contract was signed, the host gave the system access to their thoughts and by extension, Chongsheng.

Yet Q, the little fucker, screwed that up and left Chongsheng in a bind.

To make matters worse, Liang Fei was an ice-cold man with a face that showed nothing of his true thoughts. Even after reading his records, Chongsheng couldn't believe that this guy was a lover of cute things. Looking at him, it would be impossible to guess such a thing!

This left the god in a major predicament. If he wanted the story to end in any way close to positive, he'd need to push some buttons. Cause he left things as they were, with how Xieren's thoughts were going, the world was still going to end.

***

Late into the night, while Xieren slept on the far side of the bed after being abandoned by the sleepy elder, a sound rang out into the night. It was faint but only heard by the sleeping elder who had rolled away from his student long before.

[NOTIFICATION FOR HOST: LIANG FEI]

[SENT BY: [email protected]]

[SUBJECT: TASK # 1/?? PENDING]

*****

EXTRA:

On the subject of Liang Fei's baby sister, Liang Mei: Her husband was actually formerly her strict boss with whom she acted as his secretary. They had a 'friendly' relationship in which barbs were casually tossed about and respected each other. Their love story only began after he chewed her out for a bunch of mistakes she made. It was only after seeing her burst into tears and rush out the room that he realized something was off. He was then informed that her brother had passed a few days ago and that she was making herself go back to work because her family still needed money (He'd called her in because she was very at her job). He felt like shit afterward and scrambled to make things right. He did things subtly (making her coffee and helping her out from the sidelines when things got rough) until they got close and eventually got married. One line in their wedding vows was about how he'd make sure she never cried again and to always make her smile.