“I…have…become…an…Immortal…”

Ying Gou’s last answer left Zhou Ze feeling… something.

It was hard to describe. A little melancholy, a little helpless, a little funny, and mostly, a sense of loneliness.

Friends often influence each other’s emotions, confide in each other, and share burdens.

Zhou Ze and Ying Gou weren’t exactly friends.

Because no friends had such a vast difference in “status,” far exceeding the gap between an American slave owner and a black slave back in the day.

But to say that the two of them, who had spent several years together in a relationship that surpassed even close lovers,

didn’t have any feelings at all,

would be impossible.

An old man could even develop feelings for an old, wooden outhouse in the countryside after using it for a long time.

Ying Gou was a very self-centered person. In fact, if you ignored the aura around him, Boss Zhou felt that Ying Gou’s essence was quite similar to his own.

In the past, he had paved the way for the Yellow Emperor, slain Chi You, helped the Yellow Emperor ascend to the throne, and ushered in a new era, an era based on “humans.”

At that time, the soldiers at the bottom might not have known what the Yellow Emperor’s true goal was, but it would be a joke to say that Ying Gou didn’t know.

Moreover, given Ying Gou’s personality, his willingness to “pave the way for the king” at that time probably also stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the group of “Immortals” in the sky.

Later, in Hell, Ying Gou, as the master of the Nether Sea, stood up against the trend of the "Immortal Revival," forcibly interrupting this "resurgence from the ashes."

He said that he was the master of Hell at the time, and since he was sitting in that position, he naturally had to react accordingly.

Since I’m sitting here, you still want to sit on my head?

Of course, there might have been another reason: I also contributed and put in effort to kill you Immortals back then. You can’t just come back whenever you want. Wouldn’t that mean I wasted my time before?

During the trip to Hell a year ago, Ying Gou found various reasons to ignore and disregard the great changes in Hell,

but the real reason was probably that he had realized something.

He had realized that

he had lived from ancient times until now,

and in fact,

he had already become an "Immortal."

This was a very ironic self-denial.

His most glorious years had been dedicated to the cause of "no Immortals in the world,"

but in the end,

he gradually replaced them and became them.

The knight slayed the demon, but was also contaminated by the dragon’s blood, eventually becoming the new demon.

It was as if everything came full circle, with the knot at the end filled with irony.

Zhou Ze lay on the river for a long while again.

Normally,

he liked to lie on the sofa and bask in the sun, but occasionally enjoying the river breeze was also a nice experience.

In the distance, a cargo ship passed by, bringing layers of waves and adding a lot of freshness to the sound of the water.

He opened his eyes and looked at the sky.

Unconsciously,

it was already dusk.

Zhou Ze slowly got up, patted the clothes on his body. They weren’t wet, but the humidity on the river was heavy, making him feel a little sticky.

Then, Zhou Ze stepped on the river and began to walk back.

Yingying took the initiative to greet him on the shore, offering him a bottle of mineral water.

Zhou Ze took a sip,

not in a hurry to get in the car,

but put his arm around Yingying’s shoulders,

and faced the river and the sunset with her.

“Yingying.”

“Yes, Boss?”

Zhou Ze fell silent.

This damn iron-headed girl

suddenly made him feel a little down.

This scene, this feeling, coupled with the atmosphere, the setting sun, made it seem like everything, everyone, was heading towards dusk.

“Hoo…”

Zhou Ze exhaled,

licked his lips,

and said,

"Make a few noises for me to hear."

"嘤嘤嘤 (ying ying ying)!"

"Heh."

That brightened things up.

………………

Three beds,

well, not really three beds,

more like the hard sleeper berths on a train, three tiers.

And there were no pillows, no quilts, not even sheets, just wire mesh.

The old Taoist, the bookstore’s chief housekeeper, was in charge of arranging things. He followed his boss’s instructions and really brought in these kinds of beds.

However, if you didn’t consider Qing and his companions’ identities and just looked at their sizes, this “upper, middle, lower” arrangement was actually enough.

Plus, they had lived in a cramped hospital room for a year before, and the conditions there weren’t necessarily better than here, so it was clear that they weren’t picky people.

The old Taoist left five thousand yuan in cash for them to buy bedding, clothes, and other daily necessities.

But clearly, Qing and his companions weren’t planning on buying anything.

Liang and You looked at Qing.

Qing nodded

and said,

“You guys keep sleeping. I’ll take care of the outside.”

Liang hesitated and said, “Is that appropriate?”

“If we’re too active, it won’t be appropriate. Besides, there’s no room for us to be active in the current environment.

He means for us to be watchdogs, gatekeepers. We just need to honestly do that.”

Their identities couldn’t be exposed. They couldn’t go to Hell, and the Nine Attendants had increased their control at the grassroots level in the human world. If they acted too conspicuously, they would easily be tracked down and then face extermination from the Underworld, becoming “subject to the law.”

Liang and You nodded.

Liang climbed onto the upper berth,

while You climbed onto the middle berth.

The lower berth was left for Qing, who needed to move around.

Then,

Liang and You lay down together,

and slowly,

their breathing began to disappear, their heartbeats gradually stopped, and they entered a state of “suspended animation.”

In this state,

they didn’t need to eat or drink, it was even more thorough than hibernation for ordinary animals.

Naturally, they didn’t need to buy any daily necessities, because they didn’t need to live at all.

They would wake up if there was any disturbance.

This kind of life seemed very boring, but for them, who had been sealed away before, it was just a drizzle. They were already used to loneliness and isolation.

Seeing that his two partners had “fallen asleep,” Qing opened the door and walked out of the room.

Coincidentally, Liu Chuyu from the room next door also came out.

Liu Chuyu, who had just become a constable, seemed radiant and full of energy, walking with a breeze, almost swaggering.

But when he saw Qing standing in front of him, he hesitated and stammered, wanting to salute but not knowing how, looking a little awkward.

Qing looked at him.

He was sweating.

“I… need some daily necessities.”

Liu Chuyu patted his chest and said quickly,

“Leave it to me, old man. Just rest.”

Qing hesitated, nodded, and then handed over the money that the old Taoist had given him.

Five thousand yuan,

a small stack.

“Huh?” Liu Chuyu sucked in a breath and immediately pushed the money back, saying, “How could I use your money, old man? I have some, I have some.”

“Okay.”

Qing took back the money,

paused for a moment,

seeming to want to say something.

Liu Chuyu stood beside him, waiting for Qing to speak.

Qing raised his head and glanced at Liu Chuyu again, seeing that he still wasn’t leaving.

Liu Chuyu looked at Qing, waiting for him to speak.

Qing took a deep breath. Why wasn’t he leaving?

Finally,

Qing said helplessly,

“Thank you.”

Liu Chuyu was stunned for a moment,

then immediately bent over and went to buy things,

feeling the cold sweat on his back soaking through his clothes.

Qing continued to stand there, calming his emotions.

At this moment, he suddenly regretted it a little, and also envied his two companions who could continue to sleep.

…………

When Zhou Ze and Yingying returned, it was already night.

Xu Qinglang’s injuries hadn’t fully recovered, but that little sea snake was still quite capable. It had been a coward when things had really gone wrong, but it had brought a lot of vitality during this period of recovery.

His chest still hurt a little, but cooking was no problem.

Dinner

consisted of seven dishes and a soup,

all served in basins.

Those who knew Xu Qinglang understood that he was cooking for people.

Those who didn’t know

probably thought he was feeding pigs every day.

Zhou Ze took a shower and then sat down at the table, ready to eat. The round table was quickly filled with ghosts, humans, and demons.

There were no opening remarks, just eating, eating well, and drinking well, no one gave a speech.

When Zhou Ze picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of tofu in his bowl first,

everyone else picked up their chopsticks and started eating together.

They had just started when

a familiar figure appeared at the door.

“What a coincidence, you’re eating.”

Everyone continued eating, ignoring him.

You could say that Old Zhang had a thick skin; he always pretended to be here by coincidence to freeload a meal.

You could also say that Old Zhang was shameless, since an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to freeload meals with this “coincidence” excuse for so many years.

Old Zhang sat down, picked up the bowl and chopsticks that had been prepared, and started eating along.

Those who could eat had good appetites; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them a bunch of beasts.

Xu Qinglang remembered that cooking for Zhou Ze used to be an easy task. No matter how good or bad the food was, just give him a plum juice or aged vinegar and watch him gobble it down.

But ever since the supply of oral medicine made from the Other Shore Flower became available,

these guys’ tastes have become more and more picky.

As they were eating,

a figure suddenly appeared at the door.

In a movie,

a family eating a heartwarming meal inside,

and a ghostly figure suddenly appearing outside,

would be enough to create the contrast and impact that the director wanted.

However,

that didn’t work here at the Late Night Bookstore.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief,

and even showed relieved smiles on their faces.

The old Taoist got up, took out the prepared confetti cannons, and started spraying. The banner that had been prepared earlier also fell down.

“Warmly celebrate the bookstore’s reopening after a year!”

At the dining table,

everyone congratulated each other:

“May your business flourish!”

“May you be prosperous!”

“Good luck and great fortune!”

“I’ll take your good wishes!”

The table of people was excited and happy, which confused the “ghost” who had just pushed open the door.

The ghost even took two steps back,

looked up at the signboard,

and wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

The old Taoist walked over with rice wine,

waved to the ghost who was hesitating at the door,

and said with a smile,

“Come, come, come, drink three cups first. Grand opening promotion, tonight’s drinks are free!”