Chapter 26

After working for a period of time, Fu Li grew more and more proficient.

The work in the Underworld was hectic. Once he got the hang of it, Fu Li's speed increased considerably.

One day, Fu Li had just finished his work. He pounded his shoulders. He hadn't expected that after working for so long, he would still feel tired.

Before he could leave, an attendant came running into the palace in a fluster.

The other's expression was far too panicked. Fu Li stopped him and asked what had happened.

Hades and the brothers, the God of Death and God of Sleep, had gone out to handle other matters and wouldn't be back for a while.

Seeing that someone was in charge, the attendant immediately said:

"My lord, something has happened in the Blissful Fields!"

How could something happen in the Blissful Fields?

Fu Li's heart clenched. He hurriedly pressed for details.

But the other only shook his head, saying he didn't understand the specifics.

Fu Li furrowed his brows and decided to go there personally.

After arriving at the Blissful Fields, Fu Li could clearly feel that the Blissful Fields were different.

Many familiar faces among the residents of the Blissful Fields wore anger on their faces.

They were hostile toward each other, wishing the other party would just disappear.

People kept far apart from one another, afraid to get close.

The originally harmonious Blissful Fields were now steeped in an atmosphere of tension.

Fu Li hadn't walked more than a few steps when he saw Adonis laboriously trying to mediate between two heroes who were nearly wrestling each other. His face held a weariness Fu Li had never seen before.

"Adonis!" Fu Li hurried forward. "What's going on? Wasn't everything fine before?"

Adonis looked at him as if seeing a savior. He quickly pulled Fu Li aside and lowered his voice, his tone urgent:

"Fu Li, you finally came! So many people have become off. They can argue to no end over the smallest things, even come to blows. Look over there—"

He pointed not far away. A hero was guarding a pile of ordinary clay jars with his life, glaring furiously at a companion who tried to approach, as if they were priceless treasures.

This was a gift for his beloved!

Adonis rubbed his own temples.

These days of running around had left his mind exhausted.

"The residents of the Blissful Fields have long been accustomed to the slow pace of life. Disputes are rare. The only thing out of the ordinary is..." He pondered, then continued, "There are too many romantic affairs."

"Romantic affairs?"

Fu Li keenly seized on the keyword.

"That's right. Romantic affairs."

Adonis nodded. He casually pointed at one resident.

"Him. The day before yesterday, he fell for the sage next door. After his confession failed, he saw the sage confessing to a hero. In his fury, he actually challenged the hero to a duel."

He shrugged his shoulders, his tone carrying surprise. "If it were just that, it wouldn't be so strange. After their fight, they actually fell in love at first sight. Now they're being hunted down by the sage."

Fu Li: "...?"

What on earth?

Where had this prime-time soap opera come from?!

What had he walked into? Was this still the Underworld?!

Seeing Fu Li rendered speechless, Adonis knew the other had also sunk into contemplation.

When he had first detected it, he had also wondered how the hate and passion of the surface world had invaded the Underworld.

"You, you, you pair of filthy adulterers!"

A sharp, shrieking cry rang out.

Fu Li was drawn by the sound and subconsciously looked toward its source.

Two disheveled men were sprinting madly, and behind them, a frenzied warrior chased them for dear life.

"If you have the guts to cheat, you have the guts to face me!"

"I told you, I was just playing around with you. Didn't you agree too?!"

The man being chased retorted even as he fled for his life.

"That's still no reason for you to betray me!"

The wronged man's eyes were red.

"We have no relationship at all! We're purely platonic friendship! Can't you believe me? Are we truly lovers? I don't feel your trust in me!"

The other man being chased spoke up to defend himself, bringing out the most classic excuse.

"Ha? A 'purely platonic friendship' that I caught in bed?! If I hadn't come back early, who knows how long your 'lip friendship' would've lasted!"

The warrior didn't believe it at all. He was now completely addled by anger and lust. He only wanted to capture this pair.

Fu Li: ...

Adonis: ...

Adonis: "Ahem. Scenarios like this play out every hour in the Blissful Fields now. It's like they're cursed."

As unhinged as those gods on the Divine Mountain.

Adonis spread his hands. He also wanted to do something, but given the situation, there was nothing he could do.

The three of them thus performed the classic "he chases, they flee, they can't escape even with wings."

In the end, they trampled all the vegetables grown in the Blissful Fields.

Fu Li directly turned to stone.

Was this still the Blissful Fields?

How had it become like this!

The vegetable garden in the Blissful Fields was a complete mess. The originally delightful cauliflower had all been trampled. Seedlings large and small had been pulled out. Anyone who didn't know better would think a thief had broken in.

Adonis sighed. "This is what I was about to say next."

When they fought, they completely disregarded the life or death of the vegetable garden.

Save the vegetable garden!

Fu Li, whose heart ached for the vegetables, could not sit idly by.

Fu Li looked at Adonis.

"Before this happened, were there any omens?"

Adonis tried hard to recall.

"It seems there was. Before, there was a cloyingly sweet scent in the peripheral areas of the Blissful Fields. I don't know if it's connected."

"A scent? Since when does the Underworld have scents?"

Fu Li rubbed his chin. It seemed the problem lay with that scent.

"Adonis, can you take me to see?"

"Of course."

The Blissful Fields were Fu Li's important business area. With Hades and the others absent, Fu Li also wanted to do what he could within his ability.

*

Adonis brought him near where the scent had appeared.

Both of them wore simple masks on their faces.

Fu Li considered that the scent might be the root of everything, so protection was especially important.

"Can this thing even work?"

Adonis was very skeptical.

What could this tiny piece of fabric do?

"Trust it."

This was a mask.

If nothing else, the filtration should be fine.

They walked around the edge of the Blissful Fields for a while but didn't smell a trace of the scent.

Just as they were losing heart, an unusual fragrance rushed into their nostrils.

"It smells so good..."

Adonis's eyes gradually became vacant.

Seeing this, Fu Li immediately added three more layers of masks on him and pulled Adonis away.

"Adonis, are you alright?"

Adonis paused briefly and said, "I'm fine."

He lowered his head and touched his own hair, letting out an "eh."

"So strange, Fu Li. That scent seems to have the power to induce desire." Adonis looked at Fu Li sheepishly. "Just now, I suddenly felt you were incredibly alluring and really wanted to kiss you."

Fu Li: !

Adonis continued:

"If that's really the case, then it's normal for the people of the Blissful Fields to fight over love. Everyone inhaled quite a bit of that scent."

Fu Li pondered. "Now we can confirm this scent is problematic. But where does this scent come from?" Adonis: "How about we go ask Orpheus? By my count, he should be returning from the surface soon."

Fu Li nodded. That was all they could do.

When Orpheus returned to the Blissful Fields, his entire being turned to stone.

How had the vegetable garden turned out like this?!

Why were all of you also entangled in polyamory?

Was this the Underworld?

Orpheus felt he might have come to the wrong place.

He had merely gone to the surface on a business trip, gone at most for three days in Underworld time. How had the Blissful Fields become as if swept by a plague of love?

"Orpheus—!"

Adonis, who had just returned, spotted Orpheus standing frozen before the entrance of the Blissful Fields.

Hearing someone calling him, Orpheus looked back and saw Fu Li and Adonis.

He jogged over to them.

"What's going on here?? How did the Blissful Fields become like this?"

"Did Aphrodite come and shoot every single person in the Blissful Fields with an arrow?!"

Otherwise, there was no explaining this.

A flash of inspiration streaked through Fu Li's mind.

Goddess of Beauty...?

The god in charge of desire...

He thought of the illustrious God of Love, Eros.

This primordial god had a wicked temperament and was the embodiment of primal love and desire.

If it was his doing, then the melodramatic love affairs in the Blissful Fields would have an explanation.

But he remembered that the activities of the primordial gods had diminished to nothing since the era of Zeus, hadn't they?

"Even more sinister than that!"

Adonis didn't know what Fu Li was thinking. He rapidly recounted the mysterious sweet scent and the ensuing series of chaotic, dog-blood dramatic events.

He finally concluded:

"We suspect something unclean leaked out, but Lord Hades and the others aren't here. We're not sure what to do."

"...Orpheus, are there primordial gods in the Underworld?"

Fu Li asked.

Orpheus nodded.

"There are many primordial gods in the Underworld. However, most of them are in slumber, because the Underworld is too boring."

"Then, is the God of Love here?"

"Yes. He sleeps in the Abyss."

Adonis caught on. "Fu Li, do you think it's the power of the God of Love?"

Fu Li: "That's right. The situation in the Blissful Fields points too strongly in that direction."

Then he found himself in a dilemma. If it truly was a primordial god, there was no way they could resolve this matter.

They would inevitably have to wait for Hades and the others to return.

But could the residents of the Blissful Fields wait that long?

Just as Fu Li hesitated, a male spirit suddenly pounced on a puppy spirit, trapping the poor little dog in his embrace. A lecherous smile appeared on his face.

"Keby, where else can you run off to~ Just stay obediently in my arms, hee hee hee~~"

"So cute, little Keby."

The spirit showered the puppy's forehead with kisses.

"So cute, Keby, let me kiss you!"

"Struggling? Struggling is useless! I just love your little expression when you struggle but can't escape~"

The puppy spirit could only submit to the kisses.

To be more comfortable, it exposed its belly.

A passing spirit saw the current state of the Blissful Fields, involuntarily covered his rear, and fled at the speed of light.

Fu Li: ...

Adonis: ...

Orpheus: ...

The rescue of the Blissful Fields brooked no delay!

Fu Li found his voice again:

"Is there really nothing we can do?"

The Blissful Fields in this state looked far too much like a gathering of perverts.

Even the ordinary spirits passing by had been scared away!

Orpheus also felt it was detrimental to the Underworld's image.

He rubbed his chin, and a method actually surfaced in his mind.

"Lord Hades isn't here. We can only seek help from one god."

"Who?"

"The God of the Abyss, Tartarus."

"But those gods almost never show themselves. Even Lord Hades rarely disturbs them."

Adonis said, not quite in agreement.

Tartarus was one of the earliest primordial gods born after Chaos.

The deepest part of the Underworld, Tartarus, was named after him.

This god rarely appeared and rarely left Tartarus. Adonis worried this god would be unwilling to get involved.

"Sweetheart—where are you going—!"

"Aha, let me give you a kiss!"

Fu Li withdrew his gaze. His eyes were resolute.

"Even if it's hell, we have to brave it."

Orpheus nodded solemnly.

This was the Underworld, not a no-man's-land.

The journey toward Tartarus was very calm.

The deeper they went, the dimmer even the light became.

The road was piled with stones that emitted strange "crunching" sounds.

"So gloomy."

Adonis rubbed his own arms. He huddled closer to Fu Li. "Fu Li, aren't you scared?"

Fu Li blinked. "Sort of?"

The atmosphere was more like a horror game.

Orpheus rolled his eyes at Adonis. "This is the Underworld."

Wasn't it normal for it to be dark and eerie?

Adonis: I can't communicate with you bold people anymore!

Fu Li stopped in his steps. They had arrived at Tartarus.

The bottom of the Abyss was ruled only by eternal darkness over this cursed domain.

The palace of Tartarus stood at the edge of this chaos and order.

The palace's pillars were inverted mountain ranges. Their tips vanished into the deeper darkness above. Their bases hovered above nothingness, defying all physical laws known to the mortal world.

Yet there was a god who shouldn't exist here, at the entrance.

Tartarus.

He silently gazed at Fu Li's group, then shifted his gaze away.

Fu Li: "?"

What did that mean?

Fu Li tried stepping forward.

Tartarus had no reaction.

Fu Li tried stepping forward again.

Tartarus still had no reaction.

Fu Li cautiously spoke up.

"Excuse me, are you the God of the Abyss?"

Tartarus glanced at him. "?"

Then they stared at each other blankly.

Tartarus looked at Fu Li and didn't speak.

Fu Li was afraid of saying the wrong thing and didn't dare to speak.

Adonis was sweating nervously for Fu Li.

"Who... are... you?"

Tartarus spoke very slowly, as if he hadn't spoken in a very long time.

"I am Fu Li. May I ask, are you the God of the Abyss, Tartarus?"

Fu Li asked gently.

"...Mm."

Fu Li: "Could I ask you for a favor?"

Tartarus: "Can."

Tartarus paused for a moment.

"Move aside. Don't block my light."

Fu Li looked up at the sky. Under the dim light, one couldn't even distinguish day from night. Where was there any sun for him to bask in?

Tartarus looked like a moldy mushroom, quietly waiting for Fu Li to move away.

Fu Li moved his feet aside. The other nodded in satisfaction.

Wait. He had come to ask the other for help resolving the problem in the Blissful Fields!

Fu Li deliberated over his words.

"Lord Tartarus, the Blissful Fields have been affected by the God of Love's power. Could you help resolve it? The residents of the Blissful Fields are in dire straits."

They'd switched from the farming channel to the abstract dog-blood drama channel.

Tartarus tilted his head. "What's in it for me?"

"Whatever we can do."

Fu Li gave his promise cautiously.

Tartarus curved his lips into a tiny smile.

He raised a finger. "Play with me."

Fu Li and Orpheus involuntarily shifted their gazes onto Adonis.

Social king, it's your time to shine.

Adonis accepted the mission. The three of them accompanied Tartarus just like that and played for an entire day.

Tartarus was still not satisfied. Fu Li and the other two were already too tired to move.

Who would have known the God of the Abyss liked playing hopscotch?

"You three, don't go wandering off."

Tartarus instructed them in a very good mood.

He turned and entered Tartarus.

Fu Li and the other two only heard an earth-shaking commotion. They nervously peeked through the palace doors.

On the central throne within the palace slumbered a golden-haired, handsome god.

"Wow... He must be the God of Love. Truly as handsome as the legends say. His golden hair shines like gold."

Stars appeared in Adonis's eyes.

The face-con was the first to fall.

"I think Apollo is the most dazzling."

No matter how Fu Li looked at him, he felt Apollo was better.

Adonis rolled his eyes at him.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

He returned the phrase Fu Li had once taught him.

Fu Li's cheeks grew somewhat hot.

"What will the God of the Abyss do?"

Orpheus was more worried about causing discord between gods.

Both of these were primordial gods. If they fought, they could tear down the entire Underworld.

Tartarus violently kicked the sleeping god's rear.

"Don't snore when you sleep."

After Eros was forcibly awakened, he opened his eyes and saw the culprit.

"You even care about that?"

Eros was angered to the point of laughter.

"Yes."

Eros: ...

So this was the kind of companion he had!

Even snoring in his sleep was policed.

Tartarus said in a stiff, rigid manner: "Snore again, and I'll throw you outside to sleep."

Eros: Fine.

Seeing that Tartarus was about to come out, Fu Li and the other two immediately pretended they hadn't seen anything and waited outside.

"Resolved."

Tartarus said cheerfully.

"He emits a sweet scent when he sleeps. Waking him up fixes it."

Afraid his new "friends" wouldn't understand, he explained especially.

Fu Li: "Thank you very much!"

The Blissful Fields finally didn't have to keep putting on overbearing CEO dramas anymore. Tartarus shook his head. "Come play often from now on."

He was always alone here.

Mm, and there were the very noisy spirits.

"We definitely will when we have the chance."

Fu Li and the other two bid farewell to Tartarus.

They hadn't expected the primordial God of the Abyss to actually be so easy to talk to.

The journey back was exceptionally lighthearted.

When they returned to the Blissful Fields, Hades was already standing there.

The God of Death and God of Sleep were separately holding groups of people back, in case they suddenly started kissing each other.

Hades noticed the three travel-worn individuals and affirmed:

"You went to the Abyss."

"Yes, Lord Hades. We beseeched Lord Tartarus to rescue the Blissful Fields."

Fu Li spoke the truth.

"The Abyss is very dangerous. The spirits of the most heinous criminals and the memories of the past reside there. Don't go there again."

Hades didn't ask much more.

The God of Death and God of Sleep realized the spirits they were holding were gradually regaining their sanity. They finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"...Thank heavens. Finally, peace and quiet."

Hypnos wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This was the most exhausting moment in his divine life.

The God of Death also breathed a sigh of relief without leaving a trace. Clearly, he was also exhausted enough.

"The God of Love was restless in his sleep again."

Hypnos reported the conclusion to Hades.

Hades nodded, signaling he understood.

"We owe the three of you much."

Hypnos looked at Fu Li and the other two. "If you hadn't gone to the Abyss, it probably would've caused even bigger trouble. By the time we came back, these guys had already drawn knives."

"Spirits can't die again, right?"

The thought surfaced in Fu Li's mind.

"No. But they can still feel pain."

Hypnos explained with a beaming smile.

"You prevented an incident from occurring."

Hades took over from the God of Sleep. Hypnos was somewhat surprised the King of the Underworld had spoken up and consciously retreated to the side.

Hades continued:

"I just returned from the divine banquet. Zeus said Apollo is searching for the Pillar of Heaven. I originally had no intention of telling you. But your contributions to the Underworld are enough for me to reveal the answer."

"The ends of the great earth refer to the Abyss."

Fu Li's eyes widened slightly.

He hadn't expected the ends of the world to refer to the Abyss.

"That is, Tartarus."

Hades gazed into the distance in the direction of Tartarus.

This was something he, too, had only learned after coming to the Underworld.

The Underworld was not only the kingdom of the dead, it was also the ends of the great earth.

"Apollo, your possessiveness always surprises me."

Hades suddenly spoke.

Fu Li froze. Apollo?

He wasn't here?

"Have you not noticed the faint light of the Underworld follows you everywhere?"

Hades's tone carried speechlessness.

Fu Li followed his gaze and looked up.

The sparse, faint light had all gathered above Fu Li's head. No wonder he hadn't found it dim while walking around the Underworld.

Hades was speechless.

Apollo's authority was being used entirely to cling to his lover.

He'd better send this person away quickly.

He didn't want the Underworld to be patronized by the God of Light every single day.

"Apollo, the ends of the great earth are the Abyss!"

Knowing Apollo was watching, Fu Li blushed and blurted out the answer he had just learned at the speed of light.

Hades: "..."

No matter how capable, send him away.

Apollo would be coming again soon.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Apollo flew over in one stride and embraced Fu Li.

He also hadn't expected the ends of the great earth to be the Abyss.

That place was the universally acknowledged prison.

Who would have thought the prison was where the Three Fates resided?

He had originally left behind the faint light only out of worry that Fu Li would encounter danger. He hadn't expected to accidentally learn the answer.

Apollo kissed Fu Li's cheek.

As expected, Fu Li was very clever!

Completely ignoring Hades, Apollo thought thus.

Hades: ...

"Apollo, take this."

Hades suddenly tossed over an object.

Apollo caught it instinctively. In his palm lay a tiny seed.

"What is this?"

Hades: "A pomegranate seed."

"Keep it with you. It will allow you to move freely within the Underworld, without being repelled too severely."

Hades paid the group no more mind, turned around, and left. He still had much work to do.

Fu Li and Apollo exchanged a glance.

With the pomegranate seed, Apollo could stay in the Underworld without being repelled.

"That's wonderful."

Apollo sighed with emotion. His arms tightened even more.

They still had plenty of time.

Apollo scooped Fu Li up horizontally into his arms. Amidst Fu Li's startled cry, he promptly kissed him on the lips.

A little bit of interest.

His molten gold eyes darkened. He hadn't collected the principal yet.

Wait a little longer.

Fu Li's face flushed bright red. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dumbfounded crowd.

So many people!

"Not here!"

He was so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole on the spot and jump in.

Apollo chuckled softly.

He swept his gaze over the surrounding spectators. "Did you see anything?"

The God of Death and God of Sleep exchanged a glance and immediately slipped away.

Adonis fled the scene in an instant.

Orpheus pretended to be tallying the goods to bring to the surface next time.

The residents of the Blissful Fields, having just regained their sanity, saw such a shocking scene. In each other's eyes, they found excitement.

In twos and threes, they formed small groups and left the scene in an orderly fashion, clearly intending to find a quiet, deserted corner to gossip madly.

The remaining residents put on standard smiles and pretended to be busy with their own business, striving to minimize their presence to the extreme.

Fu Li: ...

The way you're all pretending makes you even more suspicious, okay!

Apollo held a smile in his eyes and winked at Fu Li.

"No one's watching us. Don't be shy."