Love, Gun, Cupid

"The way things turned out between Lin Jiade and me is entirely her doing."

"Blaming others for your mistakes makes you feel much better, doesn't it?"

The cuckoo's voice rang out behind the kapok tree. The ground peach adopted an attack stance, howling incessantly in place. The kapok tree wanted to turn around, but found its body entwined by a snake-like body.

The cuckoo transformed into a snake with a human face, binding the cotton tree with its snake body and pressing its cheek against the cotton tree's cheek. The acacia tree was so frightened that it took a step back, at a loss for what to do in the face of the situation. It was not yet ready to face the gods.

The longer she looked at Du Juan, the more difficult it became for her to breathe. He Huan couldn't sense the energy, but she could vaguely feel its activity level. Before Du Juan arrived, the energy flow in this room was very stable, but now it had become chaotic and wild, like a rapidly spinning storm, making those inside feel suffocated.

How exactly did Lin Jiade manage to chat and laugh with two celestial observers? Just imagining two gods flanking a mortal makes Hehuan feel like she can't breathe.

Is it because he is blessed, or is his perception of energy too dull?

Du Juan looked at He Huan: "I knew it! Why did your relationship with Lin Jiade warm up, but your marriage compatibility didn't increase? After all, the incompetent developer of this software only considered love and didn't consider the proportion of interests in human marriage. I'll criticize that in my thesis when I get back, and you'll be a reliable example."

“I’m so…sorry,” Hehuan stammered, “Uh, could you please let go of Kapok? Ultimately…”

“That’s a different matter. I punished her because she offended me, but you didn’t. After all, in the ethics and morality of the heavens, you did nothing wrong.”

"Don't listen to her, Hehuan, she..."

The cuckoo's tail sealed the kapok's mouth, and she said to the mimosa, "Because you see that Lin Jiade has the potential to help you regain your social status, and you don't dislike him, so you want to dedicate yourself to him and be reborn through his body?"

“Yes, that’s right,” Hehuan said. “If I were capable, I wouldn’t need to entrust this responsibility to others. I know that would be unfair to Lin Jiade, but…”

"It's okay, I quite like you because you've said some really interesting things. So, I want to give you a chance to make your wish come true."

Hehuan was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "You're going to help me?"

"First, a little explanation about my power: my profession is Cupid, and the nature of the oracle can be divided into four categories: pleasure, pain, submission, and resistance."

Du Juan touched the chest of the cotton tree with her finger, and three marks lit up. She said, "These are the things I lent to Lin Jiade. The darkest color, with a step-like pattern, is the mark of submission; the next darkest color, with intertwined knots arranged in an X pattern, is the mark of pain; and the lightest color, with a pattern of closed eyes and teardrops, is the mark of joy."

Whenever Lin Jiade's affinity with a partner exceeds 50, every 15 affinity points can be exchanged for a bullet in the gun I gave him. Each bullet represents one of happiness, submission, pain, or resistance.

Lin Jiade aimed at his lover's chest and fired. The corresponding oracle would then be engraved on his lover's chest, symbolizing the type of relationship they had formed. This relationship was strong, and he was in control...theoretically speaking.

Jasmine was given a happy imprint because Lin Jiade wished Jasmine happiness and joy.

Gladiolus was given the Mark of Submission, which enabled Lin Jiade to make his will to let Gladiolus live transcend Gladiolus's will to self-destruct.

Your good friend Kapok is very special. Lin Jiade both loves and hates her, so he makes her obey him and experience both joy and pain.

Now, I will give you the same gun.

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Story of the Mermaid

A revolver identical to the one Lin Jiade had made appeared out of thin air and fell into Hehuan's hand. Hehuan looked at Dujuan in surprise.

"Do you remember the story of the Little Mermaid? A mermaid fell in love with a prince and traded her voice for the ability to walk on land."

The witch who made the deal with the mermaid said that if the mermaid could marry the prince, she would gain an immortal soul; if she could not marry the prince, her soul would turn into bubbles and disappear.

Despite knowing the risks, the Little Mermaid still chose to make the deal with the witch, but the prince married another. At this point, the Little Mermaid's sisters sacrificed their beautiful long hair to give her another chance.

The witch gave the mermaid a knife. If she killed the prince with the knife before dawn, she could retrieve her tail and return to the sea.

Du Juan smiled and said, "This story was written by Hans Christian Andersen—the oracle of the artistic Bragi—based on his own experiences."

At that time, Hans Christian Andersen was troubled by a romantic relationship, and his god happened to be a god who cared a lot about those who were blessed by oracles. So Bragi asked Cupid for help, and since Bragi was already a blessed person, Cupid helped him by making a deal rather than giving him an oracle.

The first deal was that Cupid would give Hans Christian Andersen a piece of candy, which had the power to make people fall in love with the giver, and Andersen would gain 300 years of life in return for achieving love.

The price to pay is that Andersen's beloved will forget everyone except him, and if she regains her memories, Andersen's extra lifespan will become ineffective, and his aging will come in an instant.

If this candy had not been used, Andersen's own power would have been consumed by Cupid. For a divinely protected person, losing power would be almost tantamount to being worse than dead. Who would want to eat chaff after enjoying a delicious meal?

Hans Christian Andersen received the candy, but ultimately did not use it, because he thought it would be too cruel to his beloved. Moreover, Cupid had only promised him longevity, while his lover, though also a divinely protected being, was only destined to live for 150 years.

Therefore, the combination of the two will inevitably lead to the tragedy of middle-aged people sending off the elderly and lovers becoming old women first. Andersen refused to add sugar, but he himself also faced the risk of losing his power.

With Bourki's intervention, Cupid proposed a second deal: to negate the first deal through a sacrificial ritual, thus allowing Andersen to escape the consequences.

Cupid gave Andersen a knife, and the knife contained a spell that would cause Andersen's beloved to lose her power... In essence, Cupid still needs to eat, only the target has changed from Andersen to Andersen's beloved.

On a full moon at midnight, Andersen arrived at his beloved's bedside. Gazing at her sleeping face, he pondered all night, and finally left silently. Thus, the divinely blessed Andersen vanished like a bubble at dawn, leaving only the ordinary Andersen to write those tranquil, melancholic, and poignant fairy tales.

Hehuan looked down at the wheel: "So, is this candy or a knife you gave me?"

“It’s both sugar and a knife,” Du Juan said. “In the name of Cupid, I promise that if you can hit Lin Jiade with this gun in the next 24 hours, then I promise your family will survive this or even advance further in the Empire… This is the sugar.”

If I fail to do so, I will devour your strength, your musical talent, your beauty, and your curvaceous figure, turning you into an ordinary, unremarkable person who will live a muddled and aimless life.

Now, make your choice.

Hehuan opened the wheel and found that it was filled with five bullets, all of which had stepped patterns on them, indicating that all five bullets contained the mark of submission.

Clearly, Du Juan wanted to use her to try to make Lin Jiade submit, but weren't they originally just teacher and listener? Why go through all that trouble?

“If I shoot him, Lin Jiade will be very angry,” Hehuan said.

"If you can fire the gun, the mark of submission will be on him. Even if he harbors resentment, he won't be able to hurt you, and it will save your family from the crisis. Think about your responsibilities, think about your suffering parents. Isn't this an understandable betrayal?"

“I don’t understand… Lin Jiade seems to respect you, but why would you instruct me to hurt him?” Hehuan asked.

“Because he misbehaved, it wouldn’t be right for me to do it myself, so I found someone else to do it, a gentle punishment that made him realize the reality.”

Du Juan said, "If you don't do it, I'll go find your temporary roommate. It's much easier to seduce her than to seduce you."

Think about it, Lin Jiade will still be marked with submission. He won't hate you, but he's even less likely to help you, because he's already submitted to your temporary roommate and has no energy to take care of you.

In this situation, your original plan is also impossible to achieve... After all, we call those who sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others "good people," so being a good person means self-sacrifice.

Hehuan, you must be a good person, a good friend of Lin Jiade, and then stagnate, watching them rise higher and higher, while you fall further and further behind in their conversations, only able to sit quietly on the sidelines, your position growing more and more distant, your presence becoming less and less noticeable, until one day they can no longer see you...

You are able to stay in this mutually supportive circle and be remembered because you can provide power, while someone who can't provide anything and is a liability will end up just by looking at your roommate.

If you're used to being alone, that's fine, but actually you're someone who loves being around people and considers everyone else's happiness as your own.

Have you ever felt gripped by loneliness when you're alone? Have you ever felt melancholic watching others strive for success and gradually widen the gap between you, as your paths diverge less and less?

My dear Hehuan, you know very well that no matter what your family situation is like, your personal life is over. If you want to be a wealthy and idle person, you can only rely on your family or your future husband.

"If you don't fire this shot, you can neither save your family nor your husband; if you do fire this shot, both are laid out before you, and you are free to choose."

Hehuan's chest heaved rapidly. Emotionally agitated and needing to think, she instinctively craved more oxygen, but the pressure from Dujuan suffocated her, making it impossible for her to think properly.

So she closed the magazine, looked up at Du Juan, and said, "I'll do it!"

"A wise choice, you have grasped happiness."

Du Juan released Kapok and disappeared quietly. Kapok covered her neck, looked at the bell, and whispered, "Take her to get cleaned up."

"She" refers to Di Tao, who was so frightened by Du Juan's pressure that she lost control of her bladder. After Xuan Ling took Di Tao away, Mu Mian looked at He Huan and said, "Don't do that. Don't believe that person's words."

“It’s too late, Kapok.” Hehuan raised her pistol and pressed the barrel against her cheek. “I’m sorry, I’ve betrayed you this time.”

Chapter Seventy-Three: Food and Sex, Human Nature

Mu Mian drew her sword. Since words could not change her friend's bewitched heart, she would stop her with violence.

However, the moment the sword materialized, Kapok's knees buckled and she collapsed. She realized that the cuckoo's entanglement was not just about control, but about draining her energy.

"I'm sorry, Mumian, I'll resolve this within 24 hours. That way, I won't be torn between Lin Jiade and you... You see, we both betrayed him. Good friends need to have similar experiences to truly empathize, right?"

"Hehuan, you...idiot!"

Hehuan chanted a spell and kissed Mumian's cheek. Mumian fainted and fell to the ground. Hehuan helped her to bed, not worrying about Xuanling and Ditao. Without Mumian's active coercion, they would not serve Mumian.

“I know I’m a fool, but what can I do? Even without me, that god would still tempt Teacher Yang to do the same thing to Lin Jiade.”

Lin Jiade cannot defy the gods. If his sacrifice is inevitable, then why not let him sacrifice himself for my benefit? Once the gods fulfill their promise and my family safely weathers this crisis, I will compensate Lin Jiade doubly.

If you're awake, you should probably remind me that the gods don't always keep their promises, or that she's playing word games, and that I'm just a brick she throws at Lin Jiade when they're arguing... I know that, but this is the best opportunity, isn't it?

By the time my parents and the prosecutors have completed their legal deal, it will be too late. So, so let me be a bad woman.

Hehuan hid the weapon and practiced in front of the mirror for a while before pretending nothing had happened and walking out to the kitchen as usual. But this time, Jianlan was there.

Jianlan glanced at her. Hehuan was worried that her actions of intruding into Lin Jiade's life would be discovered by him, and that her conspiracy would be exposed, which made Hehuan's heart pound wildly.

Gladiolus said nothing, but continued to open the package of vegetables, saying, "Thank you for your hard work. You seem to have been a great help while I was away."

"It's nothing, I'm just offering some help within my capacity."

How are your parents?

Hehuan shook her head: "Not too good."

She made a sorrowful expression, but she wasn't sorrowful inside—if she could just shoot Lin Jiade, perhaps she and her parents wouldn't have to continue suffering.

“We will all try to find a way,” Jianlan said. “There is a hypothesis without evidence: the cult currently entrenched in Fuxing City may be the same one your parents are involved in. If we can catch their key members and get favorable testimonies, your family’s predicament can be resolved.”

Hehuan's eyes widened slightly. This time, her smile turned genuinely bitter. If she had been told this news earlier, she might have hesitated a little longer when considering it.

“The kapok tree didn’t tell me about this,” the mimosa tree said.

Jianlan explained, "This is just my personal guess. Kapok was away from home before, and our information was not fully coordinated, so she was unaware of this matter."

I saw you looked so worried, so I released this news hoping to cheer you up. However, let me state upfront that this is just my speculation, and it may not be true.

"Thank you," Hehuan said. "Let me help you."

"Okay."

As Jianlan assigned tasks to Hehuan, she casually remarked, "If Lin Jiade offends you in any way in life, please be tolerant or point it out to your face."

"Uh, he's fine."

"He's the kind of person who pays attention to his image in front of others, but he's very casual and careless at home, which can be unpleasant. He himself doesn't seem to realize this, so you should point it out to him directly."

"Well, okay, after all, we're friends and know him to some extent."

“That’s good. You know, Lin Jiade has very few friends,” Jianlan said.

"Him? I remember someone he played football with..."

"Those who can only play with him but can't help each other are not friends. Lin Jiade is a superhuman, while they are ordinary people. Their contact will become less and less."

Lin Jiade needs some superhuman friends, probably because superhumans don't really enjoy sports, so he doesn't have many friends yet. You're one of them.

“Isn’t that Miss Ice Cave?” Hehuan asked.

Jianlan smiled noncommittally: "Her situation is special. Lin Jiade treats her as a friend, but she treats Lin Jiade as a seduce."

Hehuan covered her mouth: "What...are you thinking?"

“Jasmine doesn’t want to, and neither does Kapok. But we both think that no matter how much we accommodate our boyfriend, the number of women he can expand his harem is limited. After all, a man’s energy is limited, even after signing a contract with a demon maid.”