Love, Gun, Cupid

Du Juan replied, "I just realized when I fought her that any direct attack I made on her would also hurt you, so I could only conservatively block her movements."

Why does she invade your life? Why does she reside within you, relentlessly pursuing you, first with your senses, then attempting to seize control of your body? Why does your body readily cooperate with her intrusion, offering no resistance…?

Lin Jiade also tensed up: "Don't try to fool me with 'it's just a plot device' at a time like this!"

Du Juan looked her up and down: "You are her life casket. The so-called life casket is the safe where a lich stores his soul. The moment a lich's physical body is destroyed, his soul returns to the life casket, slowly accumulating energy to rebuild his body."

In theory, a lich can choose any item as a phylactery, but strangely, this is the first time I've seen a lich choose a living person as its phylactery.

Lin Jiade gasped, "Hiss, this lady is treating my body like her home?"

"Yes, any violent or disruptive actions targeting her or you could potentially cause irreversible damage to both of your souls."

This is something even professionals can't handle, and if you call the police, there's a greater chance you'll be detained in order to house this lich lady of unknown origin.

So you're forced to bring her into your life and quietly resolve the matter before anyone else notices.

This also explains many things, such as your current physical manifestations that seem to indicate you're aroused by the lich. It's a two-way attraction between the lich and its only phylactery; you both yearn to unite on a soul level.

Lin Jiade, finding humor in his predicament, said, "Great! I thought I was possessed by a teddy bear, not even sparing the undead. I knew it, my ego isn't that broad."

Du Juan cruelly denied Lin Jiade's fantasy: "You also quite like this lich's figure and looks. You've looked at her butt several times, and your expression became even happier after seeing her face."

Lying to Cupid is pointless. Lin Jiade muttered, "I'm all about looks, and I like curvy girls, but I choose my partners based on love, not my sexual preferences."

Being deeply bound to a lich lady of unknown origin is bad news, and Lin Jiade can only hope that good news from Du Juan can turn things around.

"The good news is that the thread of fate connects you and this lich lady."

"?!" Lin Jiade stammered, "How... how could there be such a setting! I don't even know her!"

"I think this is because the mutual attraction between the lich and the casket creates a yearning for you to unite on a soul level."

The brains of Homo sapiens are not yet sophisticated enough to distinguish between the longing between a lich and a scepter, and the longing between lovers. Therefore, your brain might create the illusion of love for the lich before you.

The lich can distinguish between longing for the casket and longing for a lover. Unfortunately, this lich's soul is incomplete; what you see is merely a fragment at the core of her complete soul. Therefore, she, like you, cannot distinguish between them.

This is a good thing because if the lich has an instinctive affinity for you, it won't harm you out of malicious intent.

Lin Jiade was far from happy. Cupid's bad news and good news were essentially the same: a lich had inexplicably taken over his body, and the intervention of external forces would put both of them at risk. If the Holy Empire found out, he, the vessel, and the lich would be recycled and contained together.

“Miss Dujuan, your right to diplomatic asylum…” he said hesitantly.

Du Juan smiled and said, "If the Lich Lady belongs to the Empire, I would actually help the Empire's allies take you in. Lin Jiade, how about we take a gamble on that possibility?"

Lin Jiade shook his head quickly. The Empire was a colossal entity full of contradictions and various ideologies. He could not guarantee that he would encounter goodwill or malice, because he was so insignificant.

He admitted that the lich lady's good figure and mature charm attracted him, but he already had Jasmine, so he just wanted to quietly get rid of her from his life to avoid causing more trouble.

"Jasmine must not know about this."

The young man looked up at himself, muttering to himself. He was having a bad night; the scene he least wanted to happen had come true: Jasmine, wearing a shark-themed onesie, stood in the doorway, coldly watching the lich lady bound to Lin Jiade's bed.

"How much did you hear?" Lin Jiade asked, hoping for the best.

"It starts when Cupid opens your bedroom door."

“I…” Lin Jiade scratched his head, “I’m also a victim in this matter.”

Jasmine looked at Azalea: "More than your feelings about this undead, I'd like to ask Cupid next to you, what is the compatibility score between this lich lady and Lin Jiade?"

Chapter Fifteen: A Win-Win Proposal (Bonus Chapter)

"56."

"And me?" Jasmine asked.

"It's 73 now."

Jasmine nodded: "I won."

"Hey, that's not the point!" Lin Jiade was getting a little frustrated. "I'm honest, I might be a bit promiscuous, but I really want to continue our current life without letting some unknown lich interfere!"

"So you can just do it if you know someone?" Du Juan asked.

"Don't stir things up now!"

Jasmine said, "But you two cannot be separated right now. Forcibly separating you might cause irreparable damage to you. I also don't trust the Empire... What can I do? Have a big fight with you? Fight that undead who has interfered in our lives?"

"It's pointless. I'm angry. I don't want to share you with a woman of unknown origin. That's why I must restrain myself and find a way to untie you."

Lin Jiade breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a touch of emotion.

“Besides, I’m so calm because I’m on medication,” Jasmine said.

"Ok?"

“Because of what you did in the bathroom, Jasmine’s heat has come early.” Du Juan nudged Lin Jiade’s arm. “She knows you can’t handle sixteen hours of love every day, so she can only suppress herself with medication.”

After taking this drug, Jasmine lost her desire and became colder than before. "Look, even when I poke you, she doesn't react at all."

Lin Jiade glanced at Jasmine and noticed that she was indeed expressionless.

“It’s not all for you,” Jasmine said. “Senior year is my last chance to catch up. I don’t want to repeat a year or have to study again, so I need to make the most of my time to review. If I’m distracted by lust, it will affect my grades.”

Nevertheless, Lin Jiade knew that Jasmine was still doing this for him. So he went over and gave Jasmine a hug. Jasmine, like a middle-aged woman who had just received her dues, politely returned the hug, treating him as a vessel for kinship rather than a vessel for desire.

She sniffed Lin Jiade's collar and cuffs and said, "How cunning. She has no scent and no form. If she had been living inside Lin Jiade's body all along, I would never have been able to detect her."

Jasmine released Lin Jiade and continued, "My condition for tolerating that lich lady temporarily joining our lives is that she will not harm our current lives."

It sounds selfish of me to say this, but I myself have dragged Lin Jiade into trouble, and I don't want Lin Jiade to be dragged into other people's troubles. I don't want to repeat that experience, that loss, again.

Jasmine's eyes held a hint of guilt. He had always known that there was guilt in the feelings Jasmine projected onto him. Perhaps it was this guilt that led her to treat him with such a fawning attitude, resulting in that extreme behavior in the bathroom earlier.

“In any case, let’s listen to what this lich lady has to say. If we can negotiate and find a solution that we can both accept,” Lin Jiade said.

Cupid released the Lich Lady, who had overheard the conversation and made a preliminary assessment of the situation. She straightened her clothes and hair (though it was pointless) and said, "I apologize for any offense I may have caused, and I would very much like to resolve this peacefully."

Lin Jiade asked, "How should we address you, madam? This is the first question in our communication."

“I…don’t know. My soul is not complete; what I am now is only a part of who I used to be.” The woman spread her hands. “But the memories of my identity and past are completely missing.”

The corpse demon's magic awakened my consciousness, and the master's magic, along with some kind of potion you took, opened my mind. Through your senses, I suddenly gained the ability to observe the world around me.

I apologize; I had no intention of violating your privacy, but the timing of when I open or close my eyes is not up to me, so I was forced to see all your private matters.

She glanced quickly at Lin Jiade and Jasmine, her expression slightly embarrassed. Lin Jiade suddenly remembered that the Lich Lady had seen everything he and Jasmine were doing.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. After a few seconds of pause, the Lich Lady said, "I desperately want to know who I am, what I am supposed to do, and why I am here."

Du Juan nodded: "I just searched her memories, and her words are credible. Her past is a blank, and she only retains the most basic common sense and some magical knowledge."

"No wonder he was able to give me pointers when I was fighting against Senior Kapok," Lin Jiade said.

The Lich Lady bowed her head again in apology: "I'm really sorry, I seem to have disturbed your lives."

"Ignorance is no excuse, and I won't blame someone who has lost their memory. But please understand my predicament, so could you please end our relationship?"

The lich lady became even more embarrassed: "I'm sorry, I've already lost my body. If I lose my life casket as well, I will perish immediately."

I... desperately want to live, to figure out who I really am, instead of just disappearing into oblivion at this moment.

At this moment, Cupid held up two fingers: "In that case, I have a proposal that can be a win-win situation for both you, Lin Jiade, and this lich lady."

Lin Jiade knew that Cupid's win-win situation meant she won twice, while her partner won once, so everyone was a winner, but she won one more time than her partner.

Although Du Juan was mainly thinking of herself, her partners could also share some of the profits, so Lin Jiade was somewhat convinced by her "win-win" plan.

"How so?" he asked.

"To sum it up: you come to help the Lich Lady gather her soul fragments, and the Lich Lady will also come to help you, sharing with you the knowledge that was originally a secret."

"That sounds plausible, but what's the specific explanation?"

"First, the Lich Lady's soul fragments will attract each other, causing the souls to reassemble. This trend is irreversible, so soon, Lin Jiade, your life will be disrupted."

However, this isn't all bad. A lich lady with a complete soul has enough power to shape her physical body, which would allow you to break free of the bond.

Therefore, preserving its soul intact is in your mutual interest and that of the Lich Lady, but you are the one who will pay the price, because the process of reassembling the soul fragments will bring unpredictable risks.

In compensation, the Lich Queen should do everything in her power to strengthen you, enabling you to steadily collect soul fragments for her. Therefore, enhancing your combat strength and ensuring your safety is also in your mutual interest.

Lin Jiade felt that Cupid's words made sense. Given that he and the current Lich Lady had become beings with a shared destiny, and that the reunion of their souls would inevitably bring turbulence to his life, finding common interests, helping each other, and getting along amicably were the only ways for his life to continue.

He looked at the Lich Lady, and she looked back at him. Neither of them spoke, but they understood each other's thoughts. This unspoken understanding reassured Lin Jiade.

I owe 57 chapters in total, have paid 8, and still owe 49.

Chapter Sixteen: Forbidden Things

The Lich Lady gave him a reserved smile, extended her hand, and Lin Jiade grasped it. A cold and empty feeling spread through his palm, and the phantom of her hand passed through his.

"However, one thing needs to be made clear: the Lich Lady and I each have our own lives. We are business partners, not lovers, so Miss Cuckoo, please don't try to match us up."

Lin Jiade glanced at his partner and continued, "I suppose that given the Lich Lady's age, she probably has family who are still eagerly awaiting her return."

Therefore, I want to break off our bond as soon as possible, not only for my own peace of mind, but also to allow her to return to her family.

Dujuan looked at the Lich Lady: "This is a good phylactery, isn't it?"

“He’s a partner, just as he said. I want to figure out who I am and where I’m going.” The Lich Lady turned to Jasmine: “You’re his girlfriend. I’m sorry, I’ve interfered in your relationship.”

"You don't need to apologize unless you've done anything to harm either of us."

Jasmine yawned and went back to sleep. Lin Jiade could tell she was in a bad mood. It made sense; even if she could rationally accept a harmless lich possessing her boyfriend's body, seeing the two of them so in sync, even more so than she, the official girlfriend, would definitely make her feel uncomfortable.

He sighed and said to his newly minted partner, "It's not good to keep calling you Lady Lich. Before you regain your memories, Lady, please give yourself a name."

The Lich Lady looked around and, seeing the plant in the living room, asked, "What's this flower called?"

“Gladiolus,” Lin Jiade replied.

"Then for the time being, you can call me Jianlan."

Lin Jiade was forced to live and die with Jianlan, but that doesn't mean they have to be inseparable at all times. Otherwise, it would be awkward for two people of different genders to stick together.

Du Juan suggested that Jianlan attach herself to the .45 caliber toy gun connected to Lin Jiade's soul. This way, there would be an extra layer between Lin Jiade and Jianlan's souls, preventing Lin Jiade from having to endure 24-hour humiliation.

Gladiolus tried it out and was fairly satisfied with her new home. She said in a pleading tone, "When it's convenient for you, please let me out for some fresh air."

Though I am dead, I yearn even more for days under the sun, as if they could warm my cold soul.

Gladiolus's brows and eyes were filled with sorrow, just like the fleeting glimpse Lin Jiade had taken of her when he first saw her. She wanted to cry, but liches have no tears, so her beautiful features were squeezed together, like a Picasso Cubist painting.

Lin Jiade understood that knowing one's own death shortly after realizing one's own existence was a sad thing for many people.

Even though he was a victim of the amnesiac lich, he felt sympathy at this moment, perhaps because he was attracted to appearances.