"There there, Young Master. Did you manage to let out all the tears that were clogging your heart?"

Lan Yun's soft voice crept into Yin Long's ears after what felt like ages. The tears that had run down his face had already run dry a few minutes ago, he just hadn't let go because he wanted to stay in that embrace for a bit longer. But all things came to an end eventually, and now it was time for that embrace to end.

"And here I was hoping that you'd be more indulging since I finally switched roles with you."

Yin Long pulled away from Lan Yun's chest, a small and trembling smile on his face as he wiped away the moisture that remained on his face. Ever since the start, even before they became a couple, it was always Lan Yun that showed the most physical intimacy, always wanting to stay in contact for just a moment longer. That fact obviously wasn't lost on Lan Yun either, her lips curved into a satisfied arc.

"Didn't I indulge in it for a few minutes already? The needy Young Master that leans on me is lovely, but the Young Master that charges forward without fear or worry is the one that really steals my heart. So, Young Master, which one do you want to show me?"

She really was unfair. That smile she showed him, the care, the gentle push, she really was unfair. The moment he just wanted to rest she came by and dragged him up so that he could keep running, the moment he wanted to embrace a moment of peace she urged him on again. But what could he do? That smile was not one he could say no to, the pain in his heart forbade him from doing so.

"I already stole your heart all those years ago, but you know what? Stealing it again doesn't sound all that bad."

He rubbed his face with his hands after he spoke, sweeping his hair back in a quick motion. His face bore what looked like it wanted to be a refreshing smile, but it trembled slightly, torn between conflicting emotions. But Lan Yun simply urged him on, no painful emotions could catch up to him if he just kept running forward.

"I look forward to it. Our dear Young Master has always been good at stealing hearts, just make sure you pick me as one of those stolen hearts to hold close again."

She stepped past him as she spoke, a charming smile on her face as she allowed the tips of her fingers to brush against his chest. She had been trained to be a courtesan from a young age, it was a fact that Yin Long could easily forget, but sometimes she put it on full display like this and right now it left him somewhat numb.

But that moment of numbness only lasted a single instant before it faded, it was only born from the pain that still plagued his heart. But he could not let that pain, or the numbness, hinder his steps. So he moved and caught up with Lan Yun, he couldn't let her move about on her own here in the Netherworld.

The place he had arrived this time wasn't the same as the first time he died, it was a flat plain covered in pink grass that swayed in the wind. This place was hell, it was where those deemed as sinners went, everyone knew that. And yet, in the distance, Yin Long could see something akin to a village. Even here, in the depths of the darkness, civilization tried to flourish.

As they walked, Yin Long noticed a slowly growing sensation in his stomach. He was hungry. But upon realizing that fact, how could he not question it? This wasn't his actual body, it was just his soul, and why would a soul get hungry? At the same time, it was slightly annoying, mainly because there was nothing around them to eat.

"Let's pick up the pace a little, I fear that the entire Netherworld may hear our Young Master's stomach if we dally."

Lan Yun chuckled softly from the side as they walked, increasing her speed. If there was a village then there would be people, and if there were people then there would be food. Yin Long matched her pace, and thanks to that the two managed to reach the village after only a little over seven hours. They could see it from their starting point, yet it took them more than seven hours to actually reach it. As such, perhaps it was just to be expected that it wasn't just a village but more akin to a city.

But strangely enough, it didn't look like a city. The buildings weren't shoddy or flimsy, but they were definitely only a step above belonging to a slum. Most only had a single floor, only a sparse handful having two or three. And all the more strange, there was no centre, nothing that stood out as the home of the city lord. Naturally, that could just be chalked up to a difference in architecture, but it was still a strange look.

"Visrama, newcomer. Please don't cause any trouble."

A voice greeted them as they entered the village-city, but it wasn't a guard. There was no wall to defend the city so there was no need for there to be any guards. The one who greeted them looked like a farmer, a bucker of manure in each hand as he nodded at Yin Long.

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"Young Master... He doesn't look like a sinner, does he?"

Lan Yun's whisper reached Yin Long after the man passed by them. He frowned slightly as well, gazing at the man's back. This... felt a bit different from what the records usually said about the Netherworld. But then again, Yin Long didn't exactly look like a sinner either, but he still ended up here, as did his Lan Yun.

In the end, relying solely on appearances would not easily lead them astray. And perhaps that statement was truest here in the Netherworld. So he took his eyes off of the departing man and stepped into the village, which looked so normal that it was almost eerie.

"Ah, there, Young Master. We can finally silence your rumbling."

Lan Yun didn't seem to allow the eerily ordinary surroundings to get to her, sniffing the air for a moment before she pointed towards a woman that sat behind a large fire. A metal railing was suspended over the fire, chunks of meat and what looked like vegetables and roots cooking. She didn't try to hawk any wares, but she looked just like the street vendors he was used to.

"Come on, no need to be overly anxious, we need to feed you if you want to keep running."

She didn't allow his rapidly narrowing eyes to stop them, grabbing his hand and dragging him forward. Hesitation led to defeat, how many times had he told her that while training already? And yet he stood there and hesitated over such small things, he really was a contrary man.

"What's it, youngin? If you want some grub then just grab some, the hungry gots to eat."

The woman's voice was a bit gruff and came out with an accent that Yin Long had never heard before, her eyes somewhat cloudy as they looked at him. There were some plates next to the fire, carved out of rough stones. Yin Long cast a glance at Lan Yun, but she shook her head, clearly not hungry. His gaze turned back onto the woman as he questioned, but perhaps he should have expected the answer he got.

"You said just grab, but don't I need to pay?"

"Pay? Whatsta point of currency in a wayward place like this? Those 'o desire to cook feed, those 'o desire to help make tha houses, those 'o desire to hunt do so. Ya do what you want when you want, thatsta only freedom yous got down 'ere."

She spoke so matter of factly that it seemed unimportant, throwing another chunk of meat onto the fire. Now that he stood closer he could see that she was actually cleaning rabbits behind the fire, that was the meat she was throwing on. And thinking about it, her words did make some sense. This was the Netherworld, the final stop for sinners, what need was there for currency in a place like this?

But still, that sensation struck him again, Lan Yun's previous whisper playing in his head. Sinners. Would a sinner just desire to cook like this? To build houses, to hunt for food? Just why was the Netherworld he experienced so different from what he read about in the past? Lan Yun's finger prodded his side as he pondered, her voice touching him once more.

"It really is strange isn't it, Young Master? Or is it really? The Netherworld that drags down all sinners, isn't it just pulling in people in the end? Whether they're sinners or not, aren't they just humans in the end? Maybe they've learned to be better over time, maybe the Netherworld has a different standard for sinner, or maybe everything is just falsified from the start. In the end, a place that drags in humans will be a place where anything can happen. Don't rush, Young Master. You can take your time, you can learn as you run, and you don't need to learn everything right away."

He hadn't voiced his thoughts, but how long had Lan Yun been by his side? He could read her thoughts from her expressions and she could do the same for him, there was nothing they could hide from each other. And that was precisely why Lan Yun always knew how to say what he needed to hear. He let out a light breath and gave her a slight nod, crouching down to pick up one of the plates as he addressed the woman.

"Alright. I'll take some then. Thank you very much."

He held the stone plate with one hand and used the other to pick some meat and roots from the fire, stacking them on the place while the woman threw more meat and roots onto the fire to replace what he took.

"That's a good appetite, youngin, gotsta eat if you want to make it. Visrama, youngin, I 'ope you don't fall 'ere."

She cast a small glance at the plate he had filled, giving a small and seemingly appreciative nod. Those who wanted to live needed to eat, and those who ate wanted to live, it was a good thing, here more so than anywhere else. Yin Long didn't immediately walk away despite the fact that the woman's interest in him seemed to be waning quickly, the word she spoke caught his attention.

"Visrama. There was someone at the gate who said the same, what does it mean?"

It was a strange word, from a language that he didn't recognize, a language that felt so foreign that it was practically alien. But the man had said it with a calm smile, and even this woman spoke it almost like a blessing. But contrary to his expectations, the woman raised her shoulders in an unknowing shrug.

"Beats me. I 'eard it when I first came 'ere, and the one I asked had 'eard it ever since he first came 'ere. It goes back further I'm sure, prolly further than anyone 'ere knows."

She had already lost track of how long she had been here, that was just how people down here ended up as time went on, they lost track of things. But that one word, it had stayed constant for that entire time, she had even seen some people recite it when the last of their desires finally dried up and they got to become fertilizer.

"Then why say it at all, if you don't know what it means?"

His eyebrow couldn't help but rise, a sliver of curiosity. This was the Netherworld so it was unlikely that it didn't mean anything. Sure, one person saying something meaningless could be understood, but multiple people? And even passing it down? But to that question, the woman also had an answer, her lips spreading apart in a relieved smile that revealed her teeth.

"Cause we know what it is, just not what it means. It's a prayer, younging. Visrama, Visrama, Ananata Visrama. To who? No clue. But it's the only prayer allowed to a miserable lot like us, stuck down 'ere and abandoned by all else. Comforting, ain't it? To know that we can pray even down 'ere, even when all alone?"