Love, Gun, Cupid

"Why not kill me?" Jianlan asked.

"You're already dead, I can't kill a dead man... Okay, enough with the lame jokes."

Lin Jiade said, "I see the present you and the past you as two different people. There is a relationship of inheritance, but not everything is carried over."

Therefore, you need to pay the price and make compensation for the past, but the specific price and compensation are up to me, the victim.

I don't know what the future holds, and worrying now is pointless. To treat something that hasn't even happened as if it has already happened, to spew so much negativity, and to argue over trivial matters—that's something only 'elites' do. I'm just an ordinary person.

"Like our current relationship?"

Lin Jiade nodded: "Yes, since things have happened unavoidably, we should try our best to make things better. Complaining won't solve anything. Let's work together."

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Second Lesson

Gladiolus may not be that optimistic, but she won't spoil the fun by denying the dreams of young people.

"Ugh, traffic jam." Someone in the car muttered.

Around 5 or 6 p.m. every day, traffic jams become a regular occurrence in parts of Fuxing City. When I was in junior high school, Lin Jiade would ride his bicycle around that time, recklessly weaving through the gaps between vehicles, as carefree as a knight galloping on horseback.

Now, sitting on the bus, he scrutinizes the young riders in school uniforms weaving through the gaps between vehicles, as if examining his own memories, with time flowing backward in his eyes.

Through the car window, Jianlan turned her head to look at him, noticing the faint smile on his lips, and asked curiously, "Thinking of something happy?"

"Yeah, I was silly and happy, free and wild. Back then, I thought I could control the whole world, as long as I wanted to... Now I'm not so silly anymore, but I've also lost that edge."

Lin Jiade shook his head and changed the subject: "We'll probably be stuck here for about twenty to thirty minutes."

"It's been so long... why don't we do something meaningful?"

"what?"

"Naturally, it's the second lesson."

Lin Jiade covered his head: "Madam, please have mercy on me! I was forced to expand my worldview in the middle of the night, listened to your first lesson this morning, and was tortured by boring general courses in the afternoon. And I have to come to class again on my way home?"

Gladiolus replied, "Before you left for school, Miss Jasmine, Miss Cuckoo, and I had a brief conversation. After learning about your schedule and routine, we all agreed that your time should be managed."

"?!"

"Furthermore, they anticipated your refusal and told me about one of your weaknesses."

Lin Jiade laughed: "Madam, since you've already said it, I was prepared in advance, so this trick won't work."

Gladiolus pointed to herself: "If you pay attention in class, I might consider changing into clothes that are more in line with modern aesthetics for you."

"Let's begin the lesson, teacher, I'm ready!"

After Lin Jiade answered instantly, he saw Jianlan's teasing expression, as if a mother had caught her son hiding something interesting on the computer. He lowered his head in shame.

“I think it really ruins the image of a lady as beautiful as you to wear such clothes. I think only very nice clothes are worthy of you.”

He stammered an explanation for his reaction that revealed his true nature, but under the scrutiny of Gladiolus's unchanging expression, he became increasingly guilty, his voice grew softer and softer, and finally he fell silent.

Gladiolus replied, "Thank you for the compliment. No matter what age I am, I always feel happy when someone compliments my beauty."

Alright, let's begin the lesson. In the second lesson, I want you to learn about the concept of the undead, so you can understand me better.

"Ah good."

"First of all, in our (magic researchers') common sense, a person's existence and death are divided into two steps: the first step is death, and a person who has died is no longer alive, but the dead can always be a little more dead."

At this point, those who linger between being truly dead and being even more dead are called undead by the world. The lowest-ranking undead, such as zombies, have no consciousness, but if they survive long enough, they have a chance to develop consciousness and advance to the mid-ranking undead.

Mid-level undead have incomplete consciousness and personality. When they have enough time to make their consciousness and personality complete, they become high-level undead.

If a person possesses great power in life, or is killed by powerful necromancy/oracle/witchcraft, then there is a high probability that they will become a high-ranking undead after death.

Lin Jiade nodded. On October 15th, when he was on a mission, Hehuan and Kapok had explained the relevant knowledge to him.

Gladiolus continued, "Of course, my situation is rather special. I am a lich, but I have no memories or body. So, there are two possibilities for how I became a lich: First, I was a powerful spellcaster in life, and I became a lich directly after death;

The second possibility is that I was killed by a powerful spellcaster and transformed into a lich by magic.

If I were in the first scenario, then I should possess a physical body, and my personality and memories should be intact; if I were in the second scenario, I find it hard to imagine what could possibly kill me. It's not that I'm arrogant, but based on the depth of my magical knowledge, I must have been quite a formidable figure in my previous life.

The joys and sorrows of liches and caskets are not always shared. Gladiolus is troubled by her origins, while Lin Jiade finds her troubled appearance rather charming.

“Yes, Miss Dujuan is a capable person,” Lin Jiade said in a low voice. “I also know some capable friends. As long as we describe your appearance and situation, and ask them to search, they should be able to find out your identity, madam.”

Jianlan shook her head and said, "Not necessarily."

"why?"

"Because the dead are a rather subjective and idealistic existence, their appearance after death is how they perceive themselves when they are dying, and not necessarily their true appearance."

“I don’t understand…” Lin Jiade murmured. “Miss Dujuan taught me that the self in a dream is not the real self, and now Ms. Jianlan says that the self when dying is not necessarily the real self.”

Is it really that difficult for a person to truly understand themselves?

"I think it's difficult because many times we can't see ourselves from a third-party perspective. A mirror can faithfully reflect ourselves, but we don't often appear in front of a mirror."

Therefore, the deceased inherit the personality and memories of the living, but not necessarily their true appearance.

Gladiolus pointed to herself: "For example, my appearance might be the way I imagine myself after death. It might even be the face of someone I admired most in my life, so my appearance and figure are not a valid clue."

Now you can understand why I was cautious and even somewhat cold when you showed interest in me based on my appearance.

I'm worried that my current appearance isn't my true self, and any goodwill others have gained based on my false appearance could easily vanish.

“I don’t know…” Lin Jiade said, “You can’t get the right answer to this kind of question by thinking about it, so my answer is not to think about it and to live in the present.”

Gladiolus nodded: "This is the only issue I agree with. Do you remember what I mentioned before about the two-step process of human extinction?"

The second step in extinction is self-denial; the existence of the dead must be built upon a solid self-awareness. This solid awareness comes from within oneself, and also from those around the dead.

If one day, the spirit no longer wants to live, and no one around him expects him to live, then he denies his own existence, and his soul will perish, returning to nothingness. This is to die even more.

The dead will eventually die from self-denial; it is their destiny. They live longer than ordinary people and general magic researchers, but no one can achieve immortality.

I still want to live, so I won't dwell on things that make me doubt my own perception and thus deny myself.

However, if one day, due to some circumstance, I deny myself, you might take the opportunity to deny me as well. After I perish, you will be freed from the destiny of the casket…

“I never even considered such a despicable thought for a second. I will not deny you, Lady Gladiolus, no matter who you are.”

Lin Jiade said firmly, "I said I would help you restore your soul, rebuild your body, and return you to your family. A man keeps his word!"

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Worm IV (Bonus Chapter)

Through the link of wills, the life box transmits the vitality of the living to the lich, and the non-existent body of the sword orchid seems to feel the warmth as well.

She looked at Lin Jiade, the setting sun blurring the young man's face, making him resemble a warm flame. Even a cold, inanimate object cannot resist the warmth of the living, so she reached out her hand to that flame.

As her fingers ran through Lin Jiade's skin, she was reminded of the fact that she had no physical form, but was merely an incomplete ghost.

"You have something on your face, but unfortunately I can't wipe it off for you," she said. "The course is over, and you've taught me some things, thank you."

It's better to avoid trouble. At this moment, Lin Jiade was still a worm, so the conversation did not continue.

Although the thought of her own death made her somewhat sad, the energy that Lin Jiade shared with her made Jianlan feel generally happy.

Inside the mall, as promised, Gladiolus floated above Lin Jiade's head, finally settling in the clothing section. Her common sense didn't tell her the best outfit, but she knew how to imitate, so she looked for the most beautiful woman in the mall and copied her style.

So, as Lin Jiade was pushing the shopping cart to pay, Gladiolus appeared with a completely new look. At first glance, Lin Jiade noticed that her tombstone crown and sack-like robe had disappeared.

Gladiolus gray hair cascaded down her back naturally, her dress covered her neck and calves, and she wore an unzipped jacket over it, revealing her bare ankles and insteps. Her red high heels were as vibrant as flames.

Having been spoiled by Du Juan's taste in clothing and her diverse styles, Lin Jiade felt that Jian Lan's outfit was just average and did not match her face and good figure. However, compared to her previous beggar-style clothes, this outfit was still a pleasant surprise for him.

Gladiolus twirled in front of Lin Jiade, her black skirt and long gray hair fluttering in the wind, dazzling his eyes.

"How was it?" she asked expectantly.

Lin Jiade didn't answer, but his cheerful expression, like that of a landlord's foolish son, was the best answer.

For a fleeting second, he thought that Jianlan was as beautiful as Lala's mother, but it was just a momentary illusion. Lin Jiade was like Yuki Rito without the Lucky Fall skill, immune to Jianlan's charm.

His joy was transmitted to Jianlan through the bond between their wills, and the latter temporarily adopted this appearance. As her mindset changed, she would reduce or increase the amount of clothing she wore.

On the way back, Lin Jiade couldn't help but glance at Jianlan twice, three times, and four times, and Jianlan generously met the young man's gaze.

When the two returned, Lin Jiade put down his things and gave Jasmine a hug. Jasmine was undergoing rehabilitation, and you could feel her moist scent as you got close.

Jasmine felt a little resistant in the young man's arms and whispered, "I'm covered in sweat right now."

"I don't mind."

"But I mind it."

Lin Jiade wiped the sweat from Jasmine's forehead, sharing evidence of her hard work. Jasmine sighed helplessly and said, "You're clearly older than me, but sometimes you act like a child."

“Boys mature late.” Lin Jiade was in high spirits today. “I won’t let go unless you kiss me. I’ll use my true form.”

"You're going too far."

The young man shamelessly said, "No, no, Sister Jasmine."

Jasmine gave a disgusted look: "Don't do that, it's disgusting. You'll make me lose my appetite for dinner."

Seeing Lin Jiade acting spoiled and unreasonable, Jasmine helplessly transformed back into her original form, placed her paws on Lin Jiade's shoulders, rubbed her scales against his clothes, and gave his lips a burning kiss.

"Okay, can you let me go now?" she asked.

Lin Jiade released Jasmine, still wanting more, and touched her horns, only to have Jasmine slap his hand away. He then laughed and went back to his room to change.

Du Juan and Jianlan watched the whole thing from the sidelines. The former asked, "Did something good happen to you?"

"After we talked about our future and opened up about things, some of the dark clouds were blown away."

Gladiolus continued to study how to rewrite Lin Jiade's lame magic. Du Juan stared at the hem of Gladiolus's skirt and, after seeing her bare ankles, looked at Jasmine with schadenfreude.

"Didn't you notice anything?" Du Juan asked.

"Making a mystery out of nothing."

"A woman's emotional changes can sometimes be reflected in details... such as her clothing."

A woman who is wrapped up like a mummy, with not an inch of skin exposed below her face, changes into clothes that reveal her hands, ankles, and insteps. What do you think is the reason for this?

Lin Jiade either couldn't see it, or even if he did, he didn't understand the change it represented. He could choose not to understand because it was advantageous to him, but as a competitor, he should have looked more closely.

Jasmine coldly replied, "I understand. You want to introduce more women into his life, let them fight each other, maintain a balance, and then hide behind the scenes, smirking and feasting on the energy they release from their struggles."

In a sense, you, this wicked Cupid, are a ghoul of love; rather than cultivating love, you're cultivating energy for your own gratification.

"Do you have any evidence?" Du Juan asked.