CHAPTER 678: A FRACTION OF XINXIN’S SOUL

Summer flew by in a flash, and the world welcomed the embrace of autumn. Fallen leaves then gathered layer by layer across the ground, and before they knew it, winter was upon them.

During these long, grueling months, Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi threw themselves into mid and high-level Cycles like madmen, tempering their bodies and honing their skills, giving themselves little to no break— all to prepare for the personal test for the Legendary level.

If it was the usual Jin Jiuchi, he would have complained nonstop about this hellish working mode, even throwing tantrums like a naughty child so that he could earn himself a precious break. But he didn’t do any of it this time. While he displayed no signs of meltdown like Shen Nianzu did, Shen Nianzu knew that Jin Jiuchi was also grieving for the loss of their teammate.

Maybe the man even had it harder than he did.

One of the most obvious signs was that whenever he was talking or seeing something interesting, he would subconsciously turn and call out ’Xinxin’, only to freeze when he found nothing but an empty space. He would then scratch his head, his eyes confused like that of a child, "Oh right, Xinxin is already..."

When he got particularly excited, he would keep going on and on about how Xinxin was like this and that, and how they had planned to do this and that, and Shen Nianzu, unable to bear it anymore, would grab his arm and stare at him right in the eye, telling him, "Da Shen, Xinxin is gone." He swallowed past his constricted throat. "Do you understand? Xinxin... he’s dead. He won’t appear in our lives anymore."

Jin Jiuchi’s smile froze on his face, like he was struggling to process the alien words he had just heard.

"...Right." He lowered his gaze, his lips twitching into a dry laugh. "Xinxin is dead. He won’t appear anymore. Why do I keep forgetting that?"

A pang of ache hit Shen Nianzu’s chest, "Da Shen..."

Before he could think of anything to say, Jin Jiuchi let out a soft sigh and snuggled in for an embrace, like a huge pitiful doggy seeking shelter in its owner’s arms when a storm raged.

"I missed him..." he muttered glumly into the crook of Shen Nianzu’s neck.

"I know," Shen Nianzu hugged him in return, running his fingers gently through the man’s thick and messy hair. "I missed him too..."

Compared to him, Jin Jiuchi had a hard time processing grief as this unfamiliar emotion was extremely foreign to him. Shen Nianzu had no idea when the man would get used to the emptiness caused by Gu Luoxin’s absence, but one thing for certain, this seemed to spur him to work harder, to become stronger, so that he could stand before the Nightmare one day and kick its ass squarely.

The two of them continued on their mission, when one day they unexpectedly bumped into Noir in a high-level Cycle.

"You..." Shen Nianzu was taken aback by the appearance of the man.

At first glance, nothing seemed to have changed about him. Yet at the same time, every single thing felt different. If Shen Nianzu had to pinpoint one thing, it’s the look in his eyes— deep, unfathomable and frigid as if forever encased in a winterstorm. Those emerald eyes, which Gu Luoxin had gushed over countless times to them as beautiful and dazzling enough to put the most expensive gemstone to shame, had now lost their luster. His aura was sharp and harsh. Even the breath he exhaled seemed to carry a hint of bloodlust, like an unsheathed sword drenched in fresh blood.

Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but shiver when he met those eyes, as it felt like he was staring right at death itself!

Jin Jiuchi, on the other hand, didn’t have such a reservation. In his opinion, the two of them had even cosplayed as real brothers in the Cycle, so what did a brief separation amount to? Once a bro, forever a bro!

His entire person instantly brightened up like a sunflower seeing the sun. He bounded over with his arms wide open, about to engulf Noir in a bear hug. "Bro, my good brother! I missed you sooooo much—"

Noir sidestepped calmly to avoid the other person’s evil claws.

Still, Jin Jiuchi was not deterred by the clear disdain emanating from the emerald-eyed man, grinning happily like a fool. "How have you been? It feels like forever since we’ve last seen each other! Oh right, I haven’t congratulated you yet for being a Legendary player! Congrats, congrats! I didn’t expect you to achieve it first before Nian’er. But don’t worry, we too..." halfway through his rambles, he suddenly froze and stretched his neck to sniff the air around Noir. The disgust in the emerald-eyed man’s eyes brewed stronger as he shoved Jin Jiuchi’s head away with a palm, but Jin Jiuchi was still sniffing regardless, like a trained dog that had caught a whiff of forbidden drugs.

"You..." his expression turned subtle as he scrutinized Noir openly. "Why do I smell Xinxin on you?"

Shen Nianzu, who had been standing aside quietly, was startled upon hearing that. He frowned, "Da Shen..."

He had thought that this was just another of Jin Jiuchi’s usual episodes, but the man turned to him with a serious and aggrieved look, "I’m not hallucinating it, Nian’er! He really, really smells like Xinxin, like... like..." he racked his brain for a suitable description, his brows scrunching together. "Like he’s carrying a Xinxin scented pouch on his body!"

Shen Nianzu: ???

Question marks flew over Shen Nianzu’s head. A Xinxin scented pouch? What kind of nonsense was Jin Jiuchi spouting?? It’s been half a year since Gu Luoxin’s death so how could there be any belongings that still carried his scent?

However, he also knew that Jin Jiuchi wouldn’t lie about something like this. Thus he shifted his gaze to Noir, uncertain.

Noir remained calm and unruffled on the outside, but inside his mind, he had already devised 101 ways to kill Jin Jiuchi in the most brutal way possible. This damned dog has a really sharp nose...

Noir had not planned to reveal anything at first, but under the weight of Jin Jiuchi and Shen Nianzu’s scrutiny and the fact that these two people were Gu Luoxin’s teammates, he finally conceded, albeit begrudgingly. "I found a fraction of his soul." Before they could react to this shocking news, he added as a precaution, "He’s too weak right now. Can’t bring him out to show you."

Shen Nianzu struggled to process the information he had just heard. "W-What did you say you found? Xinxin’s soul...?"

"Just a fraction," Noir corrected, but the silver-haired man was no longer listening to him.

"How—no, why would you..." he froze, his pale purple eyes widening in belated realization. He snapped his head up to Noir with a look of sheer incredulity, even his voice was shaking, "You... are you planning to resurrect him?!"