Chapter 203 - 201: Come Out
Bai Zhi and the others had just finished dinner. Bai Zhi was lounging in a rocking chair, letting his food settle, while everyone else was chatting.
A sudden knock at the door interrupted their conversation, and they all glanced in that direction.
Bai Zhi had eaten too much and was nestled so comfortably in the rocking chair that he didn’t want to move an inch. Without even turning his head, he called out, "Someone get the door."
Yan Yichen was sitting closest to the door, so he naturally got up to open it.
When he opened the door, he saw a figure standing outside, completely shrouded in a black cloak. It was impossible to even tell if they were a Beastman or a female.
The visitor’s appearance instantly put Yan Yichen on high alert. He flared his superpower to its maximum and demanded in a tense voice, "Who are you?"
Hearing Yan Yichen’s question, Yue Junxiao immediately called out, "Who is it?"
At the same time, he vaulted over the back of the sofa with one hand and hurried to the door.
In the time it took Yue Junxiao to reach the door, the black-robed figure had already raised their head and pushed back their hood, revealing their face.
When Yue Junxiao reached the door and saw the person outside, he frowned as well. The man’s face was marred by a massive, terrifying scar. "Who are you looking for?"
The man in the black cloak asked in a hoarse voice, "Is Lord Sang Mo here?"
Yue Junxiao turned sideways but kept his eyes fixed on the cloaked man as he shouted back into the room, "Sang Mo, it’s for you."
At his words, everyone turned curiously to look at the person at the door, but all they could see was a black robe, obscuring the visitor’s identity.
A moment later, Sang Mo came to the door. The visitor’s expression immediately became one of excited reverence, and he performed the deepest possible bow. "Lord Sang Mo."
Listening closely, one could even hear a tremor in the Black-robed Beastman’s voice.
Sang Mo stared at him for several seconds before recognition finally dawned. "It’s you."
Yue Junxiao glanced curiously between Sang Mo and the Black-robed Beastman. "You two know each other?"
Just then, Lang Qiu, Hu Yan, and Bai Zhi came out as well.
"We don’t," Sang Mo said.
Yue Junxiao looked baffled. "You don’t, but you know who he is?"
The Black-robed Beastman explained, "It’s true that Lord Sang Mo doesn’t know who I am. Years ago, he just happened to save me."
Sang Mo tilted his chin up slightly. "What do you want?"
The Black-robed Beastman glanced around before asking in a low voice, "Would it be possible to speak inside?"
Sang Mo didn’t object.
The others understood what this meant. Yan Yichen and Yue Junxiao both stepped aside, allowing the Black-robed Beastman to enter.
Bai Zhi and the others didn’t follow them into the living room, giving them their space.
The moment he was inside, the Black-robed Beastman dropped to his knees before Sang Mo, his voice even more emotional than before. "Lord Sang Mo, you’ve finally returned! This key... it’s something you left behind before the... incident. I moved all of your belongings to that location afterward. Now, I can finally return this to its rightful owner."
He presented the key with both hands. "For the past few years, while you were gone from the Black Domain, I have worked to avenge you. I became a strategist for Brutus, manipulating him and the others into turning on one another, making them bitter enemies who would tear each other apart. Then, last year, I divined that you were alive. I spread the news of your impending return to the Black Domain and gathered many of your former followers. They’re all assembled outside right now. Just give the word, and we will follow you to attack Hades and help you retake the Black Domain!"
By the end of his speech, his voice was ringing with undisguised fervor.
He had been plotting for so many years, originally just to avenge Sang Mo. He never imagined he would actually live to see the day of his return.
Instead of looking pleased, Sang Mo frowned. "I didn’t need you to do any of that," he said, his tone sharp. "If I want to kill Hades, I don’t need your help."
Anyone else hearing this would have thought Sang Mo was being ungrateful. After all the man had done for him, he just said he didn’t need it.
But to Bai Zhi, who was eavesdropping from the next room, it sounded different.
’Based on my interactions with Sang Mo lately,’ Bai Zhi thought, ’and what I know of him, he probably just genuinely feels it was unnecessary for this man to do all of this for his sake.’
’After all, carrying that kind of burden for someone else for so many years... that’s a lot of pressure to put on a person.’
’Besides, Sang Mo has never been interested in this sort of thing anyway.’
The Black-robed Beastman, afraid Sang Mo was displeased with his efforts, quickly explained, "I know, I know all that. I just wanted to repay you for saving my life back then. It may have been a casual act for you, but for me, it meant everything. It’s the same for your other followers. You mean something extraordinary to us. We never expected any reward for doing this. We just feel that all of this was yours to begin with. You don’t need to feel any pressure."
Sang Mo pursed his lips, lost in thought.
The Black-robed Beastman said, "I never expected you to even remember me. That alone is enough."
Then, with a smile, he gave Sang Mo another deep bow, set the key down, and turned to leave.
As he passed the sofa where Sang Mo sat and was about to head out, Sang Mo suddenly spoke up. "What’s your name?"
Hearing this, a bright light flared in the Black-robed Beastman’s eyes. He answered, his voice filled with surprised delight, "Sa Lei!"
Sang Mo acknowledged him with a simple, "I see."
Seeing that Sang Mo had no further instructions, the Black-robed Beastman bowed once more and departed.
After the Black-robed Beastman was gone, Sang Mo crossed his arms, fixed his gaze on a spot in the room, and said, "Come on out."
Yue Junxiao, Yan Yichen, and Bai Zhi emerged from behind the door, followed by Hu Yan and Lang Qiu.
Bai Zhi was a little embarrassed at being caught, but Yue Junxiao, in contrast, seemed incapable of feeling embarrassment. As for Hu Yan... even caught red-handed, he remained perfectly composed, as if he hadn’t been eavesdropping at all.
Seeing them, the corner of Sang Mo’s mouth twitched. "If you wanted to listen, you could have just sat down and listened openly."
’Hiding to eavesdrop, sitting to listen... what’s the difference?’
"I wanted to—" Yue Junxiao started to say, but Bai Zhi cut him off. "We were just worried you had important business to discuss! Wouldn’t we have been a disturbance?"
Sang Mo didn’t look convinced. He turned to Hu Yan. "Is that really true?"
Hu Yan went along with Bai Zhi’s excuse. "Yes, that’s correct."
Yue Junxiao and Yan Yichen nodded in agreement. "Right."
At this, not only Sang Mo but even Lang Qiu glanced over, his eyes clearly saying, *You all just spoil her rotten.*
What had actually happened was this: they had been about to leave for another room, but when the Black-robed Beastman suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud, Bai Zhi’s curiosity was instantly piqued. Yue Junxiao was always drawn to a commotion, so when he saw Bai Zhi hadn’t left, he craned his neck to watch as well.
Seeing Bai Zhi’s interest, Hu Yan decided to stay and watch for a bit too.
Yue Junxiao then pulled Yan Yichen over to whisper with him. Since Yan Yichen was standing near the back, he ended up pulling Lang Qiu into it as well.
And that was how they all ended up squeezed together, eavesdropping.
The sheer noise they made had, of course, been impossible for Sang Mo to miss in the next room.