Vol. 4 Chapter 286 – The Truth of the Seven Deadly Sins (Part 2)

“Then, the final sin—lust.” Murong Qiu Shui paused, raised his right hand to his chest, tilted his head back, and looked skyward with a sorrowful expression. “The harmony of yin and yang is one of the essential principles of the natural world. And it is precisely because of lust that humans willingly pursue the union of yin and yang. Without lust…OH, human reproduction would cease, the pursuit of beauty would vanish, and even my utterly flawless appearance—which even the heavens envy—would be considered ordinary… OH! That would be truly terrifying. Sigh… honestly, my lust has always been intense. Nineteen years of solitude, of sleeping alone… I long for someone to descend from the heavens, someone who belongs only to me. I would unhesitatingly possess her body and soul… because I am a normal man.”

The earlier part might still have been tolerable, but that final sentence… If he was considered a normal man, then there truly were no abnormal men left in this world. Ye Tian Xie and Zuo Po Jun both thought maliciously in unison.

“So, dear Third Brother” Murong Qiu Shui said, turning to the pitiful Zuo Po Jun, “On one hand, you have lust in your heart and desire to possess a woman’s body; on the other hand, you’re so psychologically or physiologically twisted that you feel no lust at all. Come now… make your choice. Let us better understand you.”

Did he even have a choice between those two options?

And yet… there was no damn third option to be found.

Although he clearly knew Murong Qiu Shui was twisting the true meaning of the seven sins, the way he described them left no room for rebuttal. In fact, it even seemed… quite logical.

Zuo Po Jun held back for a long while but didn’t respond. Because no matter which one he chose… he’d lose.

“Bingo, dear Third Brother, your silence tells me everything. Men, after all, do get shy. Ah, harboring lust is the most normal thing—it’s the most direct and purest sign of a mature man. What’s there to be embarrassed about? Now then…” Murong Qiu Shui began counting on his fingers. “By that logic, dear Third Brother has committed pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust… one, two, three, four, five, six, seven… Seven!!”

Murong Qiu Shui let out a dramatic scream, face contorting into an exaggerated expression of horror. “Seven… Third Brother, you’ve committed all seven deadly sins. You’ve violated every original sin… You are a devil, a devil!!”

“Old Fourth, you’re asking for a beating!!” Zuo Po Jun cracked his knuckles. He had just casually commented earlier that anyone who committed all seven sins was a devil—and now Murong Qiu Shui had expertly turned that back on him.

“Oh oh! That’s the sin of wrath… so scary, too scary.” Murong Qiu Shui quickly fled behind Ye Tian Xie.

Zuo Po Jun: (╯﹏╰)b

“Hahahahaha…” Ye Tian Xie first smiled, then burst out laughing. Seeing this, Zuo Po Jun scratched his head and gave an embarrassed chuckle.

Murong Qiu Shui’s seemingly silly yet deeply insightful performance had greatly eased the knot in Ye Tian Xie’s heart—one born from the looming encounter with the 『Baptism of the Seven Deadly Sins.』His mind suddenly felt clear and refreshed.

He now completely understood that these so-called Seven Deadly Sins weren’t absolute evils that must be avoided. Rather, they were seven intrinsic flaws naturally present in human nature—flaws that had always existed throughout humanity’s life. The difference merely lay in how strongly they manifested from person to person.

“That’s right. The so-called Seven Deadly Sins actually exist within everyone’s human nature. No matter how kind a person is, as long as they’re relatively normal, they’ll inevitably commit some of these sins to varying degrees throughout their lifetime. They’re just like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—if any one of them is missing, then that person’s humanity would be incomplete” Murong Qiu Shui said with a serene expression, before asking, “Second Brother, are you perhaps interested in the Seven Deadly Sins?”

“…I plan to commit all seven sins over the next forty-nine days” Ye Tian Xie said without the slightest hesitation.

“Huh?” Zuo Po Jun hadn’t even recovered from Murong Qiu Shui’s twisted conclusion before Ye Tian Xie’s words left him stunned again.

“Oh… Second Brother, the wind just now was a bit strong, I might not have heard clearly” Murong Qiu Shui said seriously, though he was panicking inside: No way… is this for real? I was just making things up a moment ago… Ugh! If Second Brother made this decision because of what I said, that beautiful and terrifying Big Sis is going to tear me apart.

Ye Tian Xie nodded. His gaze turned firm, and his expression grew serious. “What I’m about to say may sound unbelievable, but I need you both to believe me—and more importantly, to be prepared. I don’t know how deep the impact of the Baptism of the Seven Deadly Sins will be, nor how extreme the transgressions may become. You both must prepare yourselves fully. During that time, my emotions and state of mind may become extreme. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Zuo Po Jun and Murong Qiu Shui wore the same expression as they listened to Ye Tian Xie’s explanation. Their ears were hearing him, but their minds… were still struggling to catch up.

……

……

After exiting the World of Destiny, the time had already reached late afternoon, nearing dusk. Sitting up from the bed, his body still felt sore and weak. He gently moved away Xiao Xi’s delicate arm that was wrapped around him, then softly pulled the blanket—kicked off by her in her sleep—back over her. Only then did he quietly step out, lightening his movements and footsteps, and opened the door to leave the room.

The days he spent in a deep sleep and the lingering soreness in his body… combined with the thought of Xiao Xi’s soft, strengthless body and how she was sleeping over twenty hours a day, Ye Tian Xie suddenly realized—could it be that she was in a similar condition to him? That her vitality had been greatly drained… and even more severely than his. According to Guo Guo, this condition of hers would last at least a month, maybe even up to a year.

What exactly happened to Xiao Xi? This question had constantly lingered in his mind, prompting all kinds of unbelievable speculation.

“Big brother, you’re awake!”

Just as he stepped into the living room, he heard Chenxue’s crisp, ethereal voice. The three girls were all present and when they saw him, joy lit up their faces.

“Lazybones, you finally decided to get up. Chenxin sis, let me tell you—he’s normally super lazy. Before I moved in here, his house was such a mess, even pigs would refuse to live in it!” Su Fei Fei said with a giggle.

“Well… at first I didn’t want to either, got driven out by the smell several times. But I ended up living here anyway” Ye Tian Xie said calmly.

Ran Chenxin giggled, while Su Fei Fei paused for a couple of seconds before springing up in mock anger. “Stupid Tian Xie! How dare you insult me! Do you still want to eat?!”

“You’re the one who said it, I’m just agreeing with your words.” Ye Tian Xie put on an innocent expression as he sat down next to Chenxue. She happily leaned against him.

“Hmph! I won’t argue with a sick patient like you… Just wait till you’re better, I’ll properly deal with you then. How’s your arm? Does it still hurt?” Though her words sounded fierce, her face was filled with concern when she mentioned his arm. She crouched down beside his legs and gently touched his arm. “This bandage has been on for more than two days already. We didn’t change it because we were afraid of waking you… Hold still, let me take it off and check.”

Before Ye Tian Xie could object, she had already picked up a pair of scissors, snipped the edge of the bandage, and began clumsily unwinding it layer by layer.

“I’ll help too.”

“Okay!”

Chenxin moved to his other side to assist in removing the bandage from his left arm.

Compared to Su Fei Fei, Chenxin’s movements were clearly more practiced and skillful, so even though she started later, the two of them finished unwrapping the bandage at the same time. And at the moment the bandages were removed, both girls froze in shock.

On Ye Tian Xie’s arm… there wasn’t a single visible wound. The only noticeable marks were a few faint, slightly lighter lines.

“See, I told you I’m fine.” Ye Tian Xie stretched out his arm and rested it behind his head. His body’s recovery ability was unbelievably strong—ordinary small wounds would completely vanish within an hour. Even injuries like this, which were considered relatively serious, would heal completely in just a day. So this result didn’t surprise him at all.

“Tian Xie, don’t tell me you purposely went to the hospital to wrap yourself in bandages just to scare us” Su Fei Fei said suspiciously.

“No, no, Big Brother really was badly hurt, he lost so much… blood.” Chenxue said anxiously. Ye Tian Xie’s thirteen wounds had all been for her—she would remember them for a lifetime, how could she possibly forget?

Ye Tian Xie smiled gently, pulling the petite and delicate Chenxue into his lap and asking tenderly, “Xue’er, do you feel a bit better now?”

“Mnm!” Chenxue nodded vigorously, her starry eyes sparkling with joy. “I feel so full of energy now. I can even hold a bowl and eat by myself… Fei Fei-sister’s cooking is so delicious—it’s the best I’ve ever had.”

“Hehe, of course it is.” Though still suspicious about the mysterious disappearance of Ye Tian Xie’s wounds, Su Fei Fei didn’t press further. She proudly tapped Chenxue’s little nose. These past two days, the three girls had gotten along very well. Though brought together by the same man, there hadn’t been a trace of hostility or jealousy between them—something made possible by the personalities of both Su Fei Fei and Chenxin.

“Big Brother, are you feeling better now?” Chenxue lightly touched the white marks on his arm. Though the wounds had miraculously healed, seeing those scars—left for her—still made her heart ache and brought tears to her eyes. She knew clearly, this was a debt she could never repay in her lifetime.

“Look at me, do I look like someone who’s unwell?” Ye Tian Xie said with a relaxed smile, gently stroking her soft, slender waist. Though they had only known each other a short time, after experiencing life and death together, there were no barriers between them. One had shed blood for the other, and the other had shed tears. And inside Chenxue’s body… flowed his blood as well.

“Brother Tian Xie… thank you so much… I don’t even know how to thank you anymore..” Ever since Ye Tian Xie had returned, Ran Chenxin’s emotions had been running so high that she could barely find the words to speak. From the moment they first met, he had always been there, supporting her in her most fragile moments. That kind of kindness, she didn’t know when she could ever repay. And now, he had erased all the darkness from her and her sister’s lives. This kind of grace… surpassed even saving her life. She truly didn’t know what she could give in return… or how to even begin.