Yama Reborn-Chapter 505 - 502 [Should Die?]

Chapter 502: And I Deserve to Die?

"Can I go for a walk after we’re done eating?"

Yun Yin, having put down her bowl and chopsticks, looked at Chen Nuo with a calm gaze and made the request in an equally calm tone.

Chen Nuo frowned and didn’t speak.

Yun Yin slowly said, "This body I’m using now, whether it’s called Sun Keke or something else, might be someone important to you—but this situation, how long it’s going to last, none of us know. Maybe I’ll disappear in a few hours. Maybe... a few days, months, or years. Or maybe it will just stay like this..."

Chen Nuo interjected coldly, "I won’t tolerate it. I have to get Keke back."

"That’s your problem," Yun Yin’s voice was indifferent. "What I mean is, we don’t know how long this situation will last—it might be a very, very long time. So, are you planning to keep me locked up in this house the whole time? Stare at me every day, bring me food and drinks? And when you have to leave for something, you’ll immobilize me and just toss me onto the bed? How long is this state supposed to last? Do you plan to keep this up forever?"

Truth be told, that was indeed what Chen Nuo had in mind.

"You can’t watch me all the time, can you?" Yun Yin sneered. "When I go to the bathroom or take a shower, are you planning to pull up a stool and watch me then too?"

It wasn’t exactly out of the question...

Chen Nuo quickly shook his head.

Forget it. Definitely not. If Empress Lu found out he’d done something like that, she’d have him beaten to death in minutes! Besides... how could an upright and honorable person like himself do something so despicable? Spying on a girl while she bathed? Utterly despicable!

"So, let’s make a deal," Yun Yin said softly. "You grant me one small request, and I’ll cooperate obediently and not cause you any trouble."

"How will you cooperate?" Chen Nuo looked at Yun Yin.

Yun Yin grinned—a smile that, on Sun Keke’s pure and innocent face, carried a hint of cruelty, looking rather jarring.

"My cooperation will be... I can guarantee I won’t harm this body. For example... no self-harm, or, no suicide."

Chen Nuo’s expression grew colder. "You... would commit suicide? I don’t believe you’re willing to die."

"If you had lived for three hundred years, you wouldn’t cling so strongly to life," Yun Yin said flatly.

Chen Nuo didn’t actually believe her. He believed everyone cherished life. But... he didn’t dare gamble on it! Whether it was self-harm or suicide—she was using Sun Keke’s body!

"You can’t watch me every single moment. When I’m showering or using the toilet, it wouldn’t be difficult to grab a piece of glass and scratch this face. You could certainly save me. But... it would always be very troublesome, wouldn’t it?"

Chen Nuo sighed. "What do you want?"

"I told you, I just want to go for a walk," Yun Yin turned her head, looking out the window. "After all, this is my first time in Huaxia in the year 2002."

「 」

When she said "go for a walk," she literally meant just "go for a walk." As in, walking on her own two legs.

After their meal, the two of them left the house, went downstairs, and began to stroll leisurely along the street.

"Actually, there’s nothing particularly special to see in Jinling City. It’s just a city—in modern society, all cities are pretty much the same."

"Is there anything good to eat?"

"You already had the salted duck during the meal. That’s a local specialty."

"Then... are there any places worth visiting?"

"The Confucius Temple, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum?" Chen Nuo thought for a moment and replied, "The Confucius Temple was where the ancient imperial examinations were held. It’s been turned into a tourist spot now."

"Forget it. I really dislike anything related to exams. What’s the point of visiting an ancient examination hall?" Yun Yin shook her head.

"Then, the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum? You must know who Mr. Sun Yat-sen is. That’s his mausoleum, it’s..."

"...I’m not interested in visiting graves either." Yun Yin shook her head again.

Chen Nuo spread his hands. "Then there’s nowhere else to choose from."

Yun Yin suddenly glanced at Chen Nuo. "How about we go see your place?"

Chen Nuo rolled his eyes. Are you trying to get me killed?

After staring at Chen Nuo for a couple of seconds, Yun Yin nodded, a sly taste to her smile. "Understood... It’s inconvenient to visit your home, right? It’s that woman, Lu Xixi, your wife, she’s there, isn’t she? I think I’ve pretty much figured it out. That woman, Lu Xixi, is your wife. And the owner of this body I’m currently in, Sun Keke, also has some sort of ambiguous relationship with you. So... it’s a ’two tigers can’t share the same mountain’ situation, right?"

Chen Nuo: "..."

Yun Yin nodded. "I believe I’ve found your first weakness."

Chen Nuo’s face was stern. "If you continue like this, I’ll have no choice but to take you back and lock you up."

Yun Yin waved her hand. "Just kidding. Let’s... walk for another hour."

「An hour later.」

Standing by a river, Yun Yin held a map of Jinling City she had just bought from a roadside newsstand. After looking it over, she tossed it into a trash can.

Chen Nuo understood; she must have completely memorized it.

"This should be the Inner Qinhuai River, right?" Yun Yin frowned. "It’s not very well managed; the water is clearly polluted."

Chen Nuo shrugged. It was true. In 2002, the management of the Inner Qinhuai hadn’t been done well yet, and the river water had a foul odor. It would be some years later, when city management caught up and they began creating scenic belts, that the river’s cleanup would be put on the agenda.

"You have eight minutes left," Chen Nuo said, his face stern. "In eight minutes, the hour will be up."

Yun Yin looked very relaxed. "Not bad... eight whole minutes. Anyway, if we go back, it’ll only take a second, right? You can teleport, can’t you?"

Saying this, Yun Yin actually sat down by the river. Just like that, hugging her knees, she sat on the grass by the riverbank, looking up at the buildings on either side, and then up at the sky.

Chen Nuo stood a few paces away, not approaching, but watched her with a calm expression.

Yun Yin’s expression gradually softened considerably. Then, she suddenly turned her head and gently wiped her eyes.

Chen Nuo was certain the woman was crying, but he gritted his teeth and pretended not to see.

A few minutes later, Yun Yin got up and walked over.

"Is time up?"

"Actually..." Chen Nuo had been about to say there were still two minutes left.

But Yun Yin nodded, her tone becoming completely cold. "Alright, recreation time is over. Let’s go back."

「That evening.」

Chen Nuo didn’t go home but stayed there instead. He called Lu Xixi to tell her he was at Brother Lei’s, dealing with some matters for the car dealership.

Lu Xixi didn’t seem to think much of it.

At night, Yun Yin slept in the bed. She seemed to fall asleep very easily and slept soundly.

Chen Nuo, on the other hand, moved the single armchair from the living room into the bedroom and sat there all night.

His mind raced, considering all sorts of possibilities, various solutions to the current predicament—but none seemed feasible.

He recalled what Gray Cat had said before leaving during the day. "I can’t solve this matter. Perhaps the only one who can is that fellow Zero... And if you want to find him, unless you..."

At that point, Gray Cat had left.

Chen Nuo hadn’t stopped it, because he knew Gray Cat truly couldn’t help. He understood the implication of its unfinished "unless you." Unless he could go back to the past and find Zero!

But his ability to reverse time was a "temporary skill" given by Zero, and after returning to 2002, that ability had vanished.

(So, did Zero really die in 2002?)

「As dawn broke.」

Yun Yin woke up. The moment she stirred, Chen Nuo immediately sensed it.

Yun Yin’s eyelids fluttered a few times. Then, her breathing paused for a second before she took a deep breath, slowly shifted her body, and opened her eyes.

She stretched lazily and then looked at Chen Nuo, who was sitting on the armchair.

"Thank you. I haven’t slept so comfortably in a long time."

Chen Nuo: "..."

"You understand. Once one’s abilities reach a certain level, you don’t need to use sleep, such a low-efficiency method, to restore spiritual power. Besides, I used to live alone and got into some trouble, made some opponents and enemies. When I was alone, I rarely slept. But now... my strength has regressed so much, and I have a top-tier expert like you guarding me. So, this was the best sleep I’ve had in over twenty years."

Saying this, Yun Yin sat up in bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked towards the bathroom.

She didn’t close the door and began brushing her teeth by the sink inside.

After a moment, she mumbled indistinctly, "Let’s have fried dough sticks for breakfast. I saw a breakfast shop downstairs when we were out yesterday."

"Okay."

"Also, during the day, I need to buy a few changes of clothes." Yun Yin emerged from the bathroom, drying her face, and stood at the doorway looking at Chen Nuo. "I didn’t shower last night because there were no clean clothes for me to use here."

"...Okay," Chen Nuo sighed.

"I didn’t cause you any trouble yesterday, right? So, in exchange, can I continue to have my outdoor time today?"

"Yes."

Chen Nuo nodded.

Just as Yun Yin turned to go back into the bathroom, in the instant the door was closing, Chen Nuo caught a fleeting trace of sorrow in her eyes.

But before he could see it clearly, the bathroom door shut.

「For the next two days.」

Yun Yin remained very cooperative and caused no trouble at all.

Apart from eating, sleeping, and her daily one hour of "free time," Yun Yin would sit on the bed.

Cross-legged, with her eyes closed, cultivating.

She made no attempt to hide from Chen Nuo that she was trying to recover her abilities.

At first, Chen Nuo was a little worried—a Yun Yin with her strength restored would not be someone he could easily handle. However, it was clear that Yun Yin’s strength wasn’t so easily recovered.

To be precise... it wasn’t "recovery."

Yun Yin’s state was as if she had been completely reborn. All the strength from her previous life had vanished like smoke into thin air. Now, she was using Sun Keke’s body, and her abilities were only at Sun Keke’s level.

With Sun Keke’s current strength, to cultivate to a point where she could contend with a top-tier Controller like Chen Nuo... a conservative estimate would be at least twenty or thirty years.

And the hopeful fantasy in Chen Nuo’s mind gradually faded. He had harbored one last hope: perhaps Yun Yin’s soul awakening had a time limit. Maybe after a while, it would dissipate on its own... and then Sun Keke would return? It was a naive fantasy, but right now, apart from this fantasy, there weren’t any better options.

He even considered whether to seek help from the Qingyun Sect again. For instance, the so-called "soul-summoning technique" that Wu Daodao and Situ Erya had used last time when the original Chen Nuo’s consciousness had returned to his body? Oh, it seemed only Situ Erya knew how to use the soul-summoning technique.

But... Chen Nuo had already tried this method. Before leaving the Qingyun Sect, he had already attempted it.

The result was that after Situ Erya had examined Yun Yin, she had told Chen Nuo quite clearly, "I cannot sense Sun Keke’s consciousness within this body."

Situ Erya had also explained, "Your situation back then was different. At that time, I could still sense the fluctuations of your consciousness within your body. But now, I can’t sense a second set of fluctuations at all."

But regardless, the problem at hand was...

Chen Nuo had to go home. He had a wife and child at home; he couldn’t just stay out indefinitely.

Though the situation would be a bit awkward... Chen Nuo decided he had to explain this matter to Lu Xixi. Empress Lu might be a bit violent, but... she was a reasonable person, right?

「 」

Unlocking the door with his key, Chen Nuo stepped inside first and saw Lu Xixi in the living room, humming a song while holding their child.

Lu Xixi looked up and smiled at Chen Xiaoguo.

"I was beginning to think you weren’t done gallivanting outside and had no idea when you’d be back." Her tone was one-third complaint, one-third coquettishness.

Chen Nuo coughed awkwardly and stepped half aside.

Lu Xixi’s gaze went past Chen Nuo and fell on Yun Yin standing behind him...

Instantly, Lu Xixi’s expression froze. Then, as if taking a deep breath, her eyes returned to Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo, bracing himself, said, "Let’s... come inside first, then we’ll talk."

Lu Xixi’s expression was calm; she didn’t say a word.

Yun Yin’s gaze towards Lu Xixi was also very strange. She just stared intently at Lu Xixi, continuously!

She slowly entered and walked until she stood before Lu Xixi.

Even Lu Xixi felt a little creeped out by this peculiar stare.

That gaze... It didn’t seem like the "glare of a love rival" at all!

However, Chen Nuo understood the meaning in Yun Yin’s eyes. That gaze meant: This damn body is mine!!! Watching someone else live in one’s own body... that feeling... Well, Chen Nuo truly couldn’t empathize.

"Keke, long time no..." Lu Xixi took a deep breath and was speaking, but before the word "see" could leave her lips, Yun Yin interrupted.

Yun Yin’s expression was extremely complicated as she looked at the child in Lu Xixi’s arms.

"This child... you gave birth to him?"

Hmm? Lu Xixi was stunned. Isn’t that stating the obvious? Why that expression, as if she’s hearing it for the first time? Didn’t you already know?

Yun Yin swayed slightly.

She turned her head with difficulty to look at Chen Nuo.

"She gave birth? With you?"

"Mhm."

"Using... my body! With you?! Had a child?!"

Sparks seemed to fly from Yun Yin’s eyes; she was clearly struggling to suppress her fury.

Lu Xixi’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her man. "Chen Nuo?"

Chen Nuo sighed, quickly stepped between the two women, and gently guided Lu Xixi to sit down.

"First, I need to say..." Chen Nuo pointed at Yun Yin and said to Lu Xixi with a wry smile, "If I told you this woman isn’t Sun Keke, would you believe me?"

"..." Lu Xixi took a breath, her eyes narrowed. "Sun Keke has a small red mole under her left earlobe; I remember it very clearly. I can see it now, that’s right! So you’re telling me she’s not Sun Keke?"

Chen Nuo shook his head solemnly. "She’s not."

"Your man isn’t lying," Yun Yin said coldly. "I am indeed not that Sun Keke."

Lu Xixi’s expression quickly calmed. She stared at Yun Yin.

"You seem... to really not be Sun Keke," Lu Xixi frowned. "Sun Keke wouldn’t speak in that tone, and she certainly wouldn’t speak to me in that tone. Who... are you?"

Yun Yin smiled.

Her smile held a trace of absurdity, a hint of madness, a touch of anger, and a sliver of despair.

"I am you."

「 」

Lu Xixi’s eyebrows shot up! What kind of ridiculous answer was that?

Yun Yin said slowly, "If my calculations are correct, your earliest memories begin in 1982. Am I wrong? In 1982, your appearance, physique, your body’s condition, were exactly as they are now! Do you have any memories from before 1982?"

Lu Xixi’s face changed completely.

Chen Nuo sighed and rubbed his face vigorously.

He stepped forward and said softly, "...This matter... it’s a bit of a long and complicated story."

After a pause, Chen Nuo’s voice was tinged with bitterness. "If it were possible, I originally planned to never tell you about this for my entire life. But now, an unexpected situation has arisen, and I have to tell you."

Lu Xixi looked at Chen Nuo intently, clearly restraining her emotions.

"The woman before you is indeed not Sun Keke. Her name is Yun Yin... She is a descendant of the Qingyun Sect. Several hundred years ago, she was a master Controller and a member of ’Noah’s Ark’. Her biological father was Yun He, who was the Sect Leader of the Qingyun Sect at that time. And she wasn’t exactly lying just now, just not being entirely accurate. Before 1982, she was indeed you—only, at that time, she was the true owner of the body you now inhabit."

Lu Xixi’s eyes showed a look of absurdity and struggle, mixed with even greater confusion and pain. "I... the owner of my body? Then, who am I?"

「Chen Nuo opened his eyes.」

He forcefully dispelled all the fantastical scenes he had conjured in his mind along the way! Then, he pulled back the foot he had been about to place on the steps.

He turned his head and looked at Yun Yin, who was following behind him.

They were downstairs from Chen Nuo’s apartment, inside the building’s entrance hall.

"I’ve thought it over. It’s better if I don’t take you back there after all." Chen Nuo suddenly turned to face Yun Yin.

Yun Yin’s expression was cold. "Oh?"

"Let’s go."

Chen Nuo stepped forward, took Yun Yin’s arm, glanced around to make sure no one was there, and in an instant, the two of them vanished.

A second later, they were back in Brother Lei’s old house.

"Changed your mind?" Yun Yin sneered at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo didn’t speak. Changed his mind? He certainly had! Was he really going to tell Lu Xixi... that her body actually belonged to someone else? That she should have died in 1982? That was his woman, the mother of his child! Could he do something so cruel to her?

Yun Yin stared at Chen Nuo, the coldness on her face gradually disappearing, replaced by a smile.

A smile filled with mockery and anger!

"I understand what you’re thinking now," Yun Yin said with a desolate smile.

"You... what do you understand?" Chen Nuo mumbled, looking down, seemingly unable to meet Yun Yin’s eyes.

"You’re afraid that Lu Xixi at your home will break down if she learns the truth. Yes, so what if she finds out? That she stole someone else’s body to live until today? That she should have died long ago? And... you’re constantly thinking about how to bring Sun Keke’s consciousness back..." Yun Yin’s voice was cold and aggressive!

She glared fiercely at Chen Nuo. "Mr. Chen Nuo, you really are a good man to those around you! You’re worried about Lu Xixi being impacted by the truth of this matter. You’re obsessed with ’reviving’ that girl named Sun Keke. In that case, may I ask you something?"

Chen Nuo took a deep breath but averted his gaze. "You... What do you want to ask?"

"What about me!"

Yun Yin gritted her teeth, speaking each word distinctly, "What about me? You all occupied my body! And then, you still want to revive Sun Keke. So, after she’s revived? Should I just die? Did I, Yun Yin, do something so irredeemably hateful to you? You occupied my body! And now you want to destroy my soul? To completely annihilate me, to erase me! Tell me, Mr. Chen Nuo, what hatred is there between us? Have I, Yun Yin, done anything to harm you? For you, for your woman, so I, Yun Yin, an innocent person... Just! Deserve! To! Die?"