After Escaping From Death, He Went Even Crazier By Criticizing Black Lotus Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Binding. The Ugly Daughter-in-Law Meets the Wicked In-Laws, and Both Sides Are Disgusted…

The pavilion adorned with clusters of blooming lotuses vanished before his eyes, sinking into nothingness.

Xiao Jianming stood below the high platform, watching the youth on the stage cradle his mother’s corpse, a trace of blankness showing in his snow-white eyes.

He couldn’t help but step forward. Suddenly, a wave of sorrow surged through his heart, like tiny streams converging from all directions, millions of currents merging into a vast, black sea. It possessed the power to shatter mountains and crush the earth, pressing heavily on his chest, making it impossible to breathe.

“Mother…”

Ji Buhuan murmured unconsciously, and a thin crack slowly spread across his pale, snow-like face. Several cracks began to extend across his body.

Xiao Jianming’s pupils constricted. The last sound he had heard suddenly echoed in his ears—

“What are you doing! Huan’er only has half a soul; forcibly soul-searching him will kill him!”

The sound was like a thunderclap, deafening and shocking.

Rustle.

Suddenly, a piece of Ji Buhuan’s pristine white face gently drifted away. His dark lashes lowered, his snowy eyes closed, and his entire body softly collapsed.

Xiao Jianming hurriedly and frantically caught him, but was alarmed to realize that this time, the soul was collapsing even more severely than it had in the illusion!

Pale blue spiritual energy enveloped the soul and approached the youth once more, but he found that the speed at which the dual souls nourished each other couldn’t keep up with the rapid rate of loss.

Xiao Jianming lowered his head.

He saw the youth’s figure beginning to turn transparent, dissolving into nothingness, about to leave him again.

A drop of moisture suddenly appeared on the half-cracked face, tracing a path into his silver-white hair.

I’m sorry.

Xiao Jianming slowly, inch by inch, grasped Ji Buhuan’s drooping hand.

That hand was as white and smooth as warm jade, with distinct, cold, pale knuckles. It had once gently stroked the top of his head and grilled delicious fish for him.

I’m sorry.

Mother.

He couldn’t watch Brother Buhuan die because of him.

Even if the future meant eternal damnation, he accepted it.

Xiao Jianming activated his spiritual energy. The faint blue energy encircled the unconscious youth, drawing out a streak of golden light, and then pulling out more golden light. The two merged, slowly drawing forth a Soul Contract between them.

The merging spiritual energy was absorbed into the contract without any resistance.

Seeing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Jianming’s eyes.

He intended to sign the legendary highest Dao Companion Contract—the Life and Death Co-existence Pact—with Ji Buhuan’s fragmented half-soul, a contract that even immortals could not violate.

Only this way could he fearlessly bind the two souls together, linking their destiny and fate from now on, pulling the soul that should have scattered due to its incompleteness back from the chaos. However, this contract required genuine sincerity from both parties to succeed; otherwise, the Heavenly Dao would not recognize it.

He had originally thought he would have to burn his lifespan to forcibly defy the Heavenly Dao’s constraints to make the contract succeed. He never expected that after the spiritual pact emerged, it encountered not the slightest resistance.

Though he didn’t know the reason, Xiao Jianming was instantly overwhelmed with emotion.

He and Brother Buhuan would definitely stay together forever, never to be separated.

Little did he know, if he could read the dense characters, he would realize that the spiritual script was not the usual congratulatory text used when Dao Companions form a bond, but a prayer modified from a Dao Companion Pact. It read:

“Benevolent Divine Venerable, I, your devout follower, implore you. I beg for your merciful gaze, and I pray that you allow us to love each other in the next life.

I vow to dispel all evil in the world for you, to protect you amidst human peace. I pray that you love me.

I vow to cleanse the killing intent from my body for you, to serve you through an eternal oath. I pray that you love me.

I vow to abandon the authority of a god for you, to follow you through endless reincarnation. I pray that you love me…”

There were a total of one hundred and one sentences. The last sentence was slightly different from the preceding ones, appearing somewhat solemn and ancient. It read:

“You have followed me for a hundred lifetimes without abandoning me; my heart is deeply moved. In the next life, I wish to form a marriage pact with you, inseparable in life and death.”

This was a pre-made contract from ten thousand years ago, intended only to tie the knot of their current life’s destiny.

…

As spiritual energy was poured in, the dim characters lit up one by one, sentence by sentence. When the final character lit up, the contract was established.

The moment the contract took effect, Xiao Jianming suddenly felt a familiar yet strange power belonging to him flow back to its origin through the contract from the other party’s soul, crashing into his source spiritual sea and disappearing.

He was momentarily stunned.

Upon closer inspection, he found that the restriction that had previously prevented him from delving deeper had vanished, causing doubts to arise.

When had he placed this restriction? Why did he have no memory of it?

While he was pondering, the youth’s pale face gradually regained color. His long lashes trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes.

As Su Huan’s consciousness cleared slightly, he immediately sensed the abrupt appearance of a Soul Contract Seal within his soul. The strange soul connection clearly announced the inseparable bond between him and another person!

And that person was the Black Lotus beside him.

He couldn’t help but recall Xiao Jianming’s malicious face and threats in the illusion: “I will also make you my personal captive, my subordinate…”

Mistakenly believing that Xiao Jianming still harbored those intentions and had forcibly branded him with the seal, he immediately pushed the person away. A flush of red quickly spread to the corners of his eyes, and he said, mortified, “You, how could you do this!”

Xiao Jianming was pushed to the ground, stunned for a moment, and looked at him cautiously: “I’m sorry, I…”

But no matter what he said, he couldn’t erase the harm caused by the forced soul-searching, nor could he wipe away the pain Ji Buhuan suffered from recovering his memories. Moreover, he had formed a pact with the other party while they were completely unconscious.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jianming couldn’t speak another word.

He turned his head away in embarrassment, afraid to meet the youth’s clear eyes.

Su Chao was right; he shouldn’t have let Brother Buhuan remember this period of time.

Sorry?

Su Huan was a little bewildered. Was this still the overbearing, vengeful Black Lotus from the original novel?

He actually apologized?

But regardless, he absolutely couldn’t become a personal captive.

Su Huan was dumbfounded and on the verge of tears. He pushed him anxiously: “Quickly, undo this spiritual pact!”

Xiao Jianming suddenly turned his head, looking at Su Huan with deep pain. Brother Buhuan was so unwilling to become Dao Companions with him… But thankfully: “Once the contract takes effect, it cannot be undone.”

What?!

Su Huan was struck by the terrible news, feeling as if a bolt of lightning had hit him. He was so angry he lay back, his entire spiritual platform trembling.

Unexpectedly, he fell into a broad embrace, meeting a pair of black eyes that could be described as gentle.

Su Huan felt instinctively horrified. Just as he was about to struggle, he suddenly heard the Black Lotus call out tentatively and cautiously, like a young man experiencing love for the first time: “Brother Buhuan…”

“I will treat you well. Please don’t hate me, alright?”

Su Huan shivered upon hearing this.

Help, this didn’t sound like something a protagonist from a certain web novel would say. The Black Lotus had mutated!

And what the hell was the dog author writing? The original character, a cannon fodder villain, actually had a dual identity, becoming a hidden villain who would backstab the protagonist later on!

Was the author dissatisfied—no, was the author dissatisfied with how miserably he died in the original ending, so they brought him back with a different identity to be whipped?

Just that alone wasn’t a huge deal. At most, he just wouldn’t backstab the Black Lotus when the time came.

But when he turned his head, he met the extremely strange, gentle expression in the Black Lotus’s eyes. Su Huan peacefully closed his eyes.

Haha. It must be a dream. He’d be fine once he woke up.

At this moment, the contract seal in his soul poked his soul.

The movement was cautious, carrying a hint of flattery.

Su Huan immediately bristled. The lazy fish flipped over, his anger soaring like clouds.

Ah! Let him die already!

A protagonist of a certain web novel suddenly wanted to be gay with him, and he was forced to become the other party’s captive. What the hell!

Sensing the turbulent emotions coming from the other side of the contract seal, Xiao Jianming’s eyes dimmed.

Brother Buhuan truly hated him.

*

When Su Huan exited his Sea of Consciousness, the moment he opened his eyes, he saw Su Chao and Ning Zhou. The two were arguing.

“A’Chao, calm down. His soul aura is getting weaker and weaker; he can’t be saved…”

“Calm down? How can you tell me to calm down! My little aunt loved me so much when she was alive. How can I bear to watch her child die in front of me! Moreover, this is the younger brother I painstakingly rescued from that man-eating hell…”

Su Chao was nearly sobbing. He pushed away Ning Zhou, who was constantly comforting him, and rushed toward Su Huan with an anxious expression: “No, I must quickly send Huan’er back to the Xuanji Sect. Master definitely has a way… Huan’er!”

He hadn’t run far when he saw Su Huan sitting up on the ground, having regained consciousness. Su Chao rushed over, checking him up and down to confirm he was fine, then embraced him emotionally: “That’s wonderful, Huan’er! It’s good that you’re alright, it’s good that you’re alright…”

Su Huan was unaccustomed to such intimate contact and felt a bit awkward. Just as he was about to reach out and hug this so-called cousin, Su Chao suddenly pulled away, strode toward the person behind him, and violently kicked out.

He kicked the newly awakened Black Lotus.

Judging by the sound, it seemed like a few ribs were broken.

Xiao Jianming flew back several meters, crashing heavily onto the ground. He violently spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes coldly fixed on Su Chao, like a sinister viper.

Su Chao was completely fearless. If Ning Zhou hadn’t stopped him, he probably would have added a few more kicks.

Su Huan was shocked.

Small body, immense ferocity.

Little Brother Su was utterly impressed.

Su Chao gritted his teeth in anger: “It’s one thing for you to threaten A’Zhou with me, but how dare you hurt my brother? Today, I’ll make sure you walk in vertically and leave horizontally!”

Xiao Jianming sneered, utterly disdainful.

In an instant, the two were at loggerheads, the atmosphere heavy like a dark cloud overhead.

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Su Huan anxiously stopped his cheap cousin: “Brother, brother, you can’t hit him!”

Although the Black Lotus deserved a beating, he was the protagonist of the novel! Anyone who went against him would be labeled a villain and eventually die!

Su Chao was confused: “Move aside! Why are you protecting him? He almost killed you just now!”

At this moment, Ning Zhou walked behind his Dao Companion, intending to secretly shield him. Upon getting closer, he keenly noticed the change in Su Huan’s aura and raised an eyebrow.

Then, he smiled and pulled the bristling Su Chao back, saying, “A’Chao, take a closer look, and you’ll know why he’s protecting that boy.”

He then cast a meaningful glance at Su Huan.

Su Huan: “?” That was inexplicable.

Just as he was racking his brain for a strategy to explain his actions, his gaze inadvertently met Xiao Jianming’s. He didn’t know what the other person was thinking, but the look in his eyes was slightly moved, even a little fervent.

Su Huan was puzzled and awkwardly looked away.

This was terrifying. He absolutely had to find a way to dissolve the contract.

Xiao Jianming stared intently at Su Huan, a soft feeling crossing his heart.

Even if he hated him, he would still step forward to protect him… Brother Buhuan truly was wonderful.

After this interruption, Su Chao calmed down somewhat and indeed noticed something different about Su Huan.

His sweet and adorable cousin didn’t know how to conceal his aura, and pure golden spiritual energy faintly emanated from him. But upon closer inspection, he could vaguely sense another merging aura within it—icy cold and chillingly clear—

It was exactly the same as the aura on the boy lying on the ground.

Upon suddenly realizing this terrible news, Su Chao nearly fainted from anger.

Heavenly Dao above, his fresh, tender cabbage had been ruined by a pig!

———————–

Author’s Note: Thank you for the support, little angels [Rose] [Red Heart]

Due to various reasons, the dog author had planned to abandon the novel, but seeing the new comments and collections, the dog author’s heart softened completely and was filled with guilt, so I’ve crawled back to finish the chapter (Guilty look.jpg) (Hiding under a pot and running away)