When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)-Chapter 710: For The Rest of Our Lives
"You... you..." Shen Nianzu slowly turned around, blinking away the tears in his eyes to stare at the person before him.
He had not changed at all from the man in his memory. Time had been merciful on him, preserving him in his most dashing and handsome moment. His wind tousled hair, healthy bronze skin, and his bright different colored eyes that twinkled like stars— everything had remained unchanged from the last time they met.
Shen Nianzu’s hand shot up to touch his face, feeling the warm and smooth skin. Even then he still could not believe it.
"Are you... real?" he rasped, tears falling pitter-patter down his pale cheeks. "You’re back? You’re back for good this time...?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Jin Jiuchi answered loudly, not daring to delay for even a millisecond in the face of his jade doll’s tears. Full of heartache and distress, he gently cupped Shen Nianzu’s face and kissed away the tears on his eyes and cheeks. "I’m back, Nian’er. Really back this time. I won’t leave you again, okay? I’m so sorry, please don’t cry anymore..."
Contrary to his words, Shen Nianzu cried even harder, his tears spilling out endlessly as if he was intent to drain every last drop of moisture from his body.
Jin Jiuchi was left feeling utterly flustered, unable to do anything besides kissing him and muttering apologies again and again. After all, he had truly wronged his Nian’er this time.
"Damn it... I told myself I wouldn’t shed another tear for a jerk named Jin Jiuchi again..." despite his curses, he still raised his arms to hug Jin Jiuchi, so tightly, so desperately as if he was using every inch of his body to feel the man’s presence. It took no time for the front of Jin Jiuchi’s shirt to be soaked thoroughly.
Shen Nianzu choked out amidst sobs, "It’s good... really good that you’re back..."
They remained locked in each other’s embrace until Shen Nianzu regained his bearings, his tremble gradually subsiding. Only then did he push Jin Jiuchi away and scan him thoroughly from head to toe, a barrage of questions pouring out of his mouth, "When did you arrive? How? Are you... are you the Nightmare now? Did you win the battle...?" His lips trembled as he voiced the last question, almost like he was going to burst into tears once more.
Panicked, Jin Jiuchi hurriedly shook his head like a rattle drum, "I’m not! I’m not the Nightmare!"
"Then..." Shen Nianzu blinked in confusion. How could he be standing here if he hadn’t defeated the Nightmare and inherited the position?
Under his jade doll’s scrutiny, Jin Jiuchi blushed a bit and cleared his throat, "Well, it’s quite complicated..."
***
Jin Jiuchi was quite sure that this was a dead end.
He had been quite confident before, believing that he could pick the moon from the sky and kick the Nightmare’s ass so long as Shen Nianzu asked him for it, and it wasn’t until the real battle commenced that he realized how short-sighted and complacent he had been. The Nightmare was powerful, far more powerful than anything he could have imagined. The disparity of strength between them was no longer a gap he could close with sheer determination and recklessness alone.
And so, after weighing all of his choices, Jin Jiuchi came to a painful realization that... he didn’t have a choice to begin with.
He could only send Shen Nianzu away and try to confront the Nightmare alone.
But truth to be told, he was not confident at all. He could not even bring himself to promise Shen Nianzu that he would win and return to him—even if it was just for reassurance. And heavens was it painful. It was a pain far more intense and agonizing than when he and his brother devoured each other, an agony more unbearable than having their bodies, flesh and inner organs torn and shredded into pieces.
Alas, he had no choice but to put on a strong front until the very end... because his Nian’er was already crying.
He could not let Shen Nianzu see the uncertainty and vulnerability he was trying to hide deep within.
And the moment Shen Nianzu vanished from sight, the smile abruptly vanished from his face. Despite his expressionless face, tears began to fall from his eyes like a torrential downpour, sliding down his cheeks to his chin before dripping to the ground.
[Haven’t I told you? No matter how far you run, you can never escape.]
He turned to face the Nightmare— his creator.
But Jin Jiuchi had no other feelings than endless disgust for it. Wiping his face haphazardly, he spoke with impatience, "Why are you so wishy washy? Do you want my body or not? If yes, then come. If not, scram!"
The Nightmare: "..."
Perhaps even it was rendered speechless by his brazen attitude, for it paused for a beat before erupting in clear anger, [I will have you know the consequences of going against me!]
The wind howled as the Nightmare surged forward. And whenever it swept past, buildings crumbled into dust and death permeated every inch of the land. The already unstable abandoned world was on the verge of disintegrating due to the Nightmare’s overwhelming presence. It lunged forward in a frenzy, eager to burrow into a new body, when all of a sudden—
Its movement halted in midair.
Jin Jiuchi’s eyes flew wide at the inconceivable sight happening right before him. With his acute vision, he clearly saw the Nightmare stopping a mere second away before reaching him, almost like a frozen spell had been cast upon it.
This... why was it...
Before Jin Jiuchi could react, a hand firmly landed on his shoulder from behind.
"Move aside." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Jin Jiuchi swirled around in a flash, his mouth hanging open in shock. What the hell, he had not detected anyone around him at all! From which hole did this person come out from?! However, more shocking than the sudden presence that popped out of nowhere like a ghost was the other person’s identity who should not have been present in this place, at a time like this.
"N–Noir...?!" Jin Jiuchi stammered out the other person’s name. "W-W-What do you mean by move— no, why are you even here?!"
But the man in question reacted as cool as cucumber to his dizzying shock. "There’s not much time. Toki can’t hold on for long."
"Toki—?!"
Another surprise blow for Jin Jiuchi. His gaze went behind Noir to land on the half dinosaur half human creature—Xinxin’s former divine prop—whose little face was alternating between red and pale from the exertion. "Chirp... for Xinxin... chirp..." he puffed out a tiny blue flame between each breath, his eyes glaring at the Nightmare with resentment.
It was only then that Jin Jiuchi recalled Toki’s ultimate ability— time freeze.
It had frozen the Nightmare’s time.
Jin Jiuchi’s mouth remained agape, eyes wide in utter bafflement as he shifted his attention to the black cat nearby. He knew it was Lucius, Noir’s divine prop— but the thing that caught his eyes was the little mechanical mouse perched on top of the black cat’s head. Its form was so familiar, so much so that Jin Jiuchi blurted out in shock,
"XINXIN—?!!!"
The mechanical mouse twitched its whiskers in response. "Cit."
"His soul is still recovering," Noir interjected from the side. "He will need some more time until he can occupy a human body; until then, he needs to stay in a smaller vessel. But I have to warn you, he doesn’t quite remember—"
Alas, the man’s explanation was lost to Jin Jiuchi, because he was busy doubling over in laughter as he pointed shamelessly at Gu Luoxin’s mousy face. "HAHAHAHAHAH— look at you now! You turned into a mouse again, a metal one—urgh!" The small mechanical mouse flew from the black cat’s head with a whoosh and hurtled straight toward Jin Jiuchi, kicking him right on the face!
"Cit, cit—pah!!" It stomped on Jin Jiuchi’s head, who had been knocked flat to the ground. Despite its fixed expression, somehow it evoked the vivid feeling that the mouse was currently spitting out a string of curses.
"..." The corner of Noir’s lips twitched. Originally he had wanted to say that Gu Luoxin had not recovered his memories yet, that his mental age was still stuck between eight to ten years old. But after seeing this scene, he ended up swallowing the words back.
Although Gu Luoxin currently did not recognize Jin Jiuchi, certain habits seemed to have been ingrained into his soul.
"Chirp..." Toki let out a weak cry to warn them he could not hold on much longer.
Sighing, Noir gently scooped the mechanical mouse into his palms and handed it over to Lucius, signaling them to move further back. "Move aside," he told Jin Jiuchi once more. "I’ll do this."
"W-What—" Jin Jiuchi scrambled to lift his face from where it had been kicked into the dirt.
"Doesn’t it just want a vessel?" Noir gazed up at the Nightmare, his gaze icy and sharp. "Then use mine."
Jin Jiuchi reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "No fucking way! You—"
"I have been waiting," Noir interrupted with terrifying calmness. "We all have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I no longer have any attachments to that world, and with Xinxin’s current condition, he is not suitable to return as well. I will stay here to accompany him. Besides, you still want to go back to Nian, don’t you?"
Jin Jiuchi had thousands of reasons to refuse, yet Noir’s last sentence struck him hard in the chest. He wanted to go back— so fucking much. He had never wanted to stay here in the first place. Who knew how much his crybaby Nian’er would be crying without his presence by his side right now?
Between them, there was no need for long-winded words. All talk about risk, danger and consequences, he knew Noir understood them better than him. Therefore, the moment Noir extended a hand toward him, Jin Jiuchi simply paused for a moment before clasping it tightly, using it as a leverage to get up from the ground.
Then he opened his arms and hugged Noir. Tightly.
"Thank you..." he rasped, his voice thick with emotions. "Thank you so much, bro. You’re the best, truly the best."
For once, Noir did not shove him away in disgust.
The ground trembled once more as the darkness surged forward. But when time resumed its flow, the Nightmare was astonished to find that a different person was standing right where Jin Jiuchi had been a second ago!
[...!!]
It was too late to stop.
The boundless, repulsive darkness poured into Noir’s body that seemed a thousand, a million times smaller than it was.
***
"...Noir?" Shen Nianzu was unable to recover his senses after Jin Jiuchi’s animated recount. It was all so shocking that he was at an utter loss for words. "Noir did all that?"
"En! Isn’t he simply amazing?" Jin Jiuchi beamed with pride as if the one who had achieved victory was himself.
Seeing that Shen Nianzu was still lost and confused, his body trembling uncontrollably, Jin Jiuchi felt his heart tug sharply. But this time, no longer did he have to hold himself back. He could finally do what he wanted the most; he pulled Shen Nianzu into his embrace, patting and soothing him as he finished the last part of his recount,
"You couldn’t have imagined it, Nian’er. Noir is strong— so much stronger than I am!" He nuzzled his cheek to the jade doll’s crown in an affectionate gesture. "The Nightmare wanted to take over his body, but it didn’t succeed. After all, there’s me, Jin Jiuchi, guarding him!"
Shen Nianzu quickly connected the dots. He pulled away from the embrace, asking, "So you disappeared for three years because..."
Jin Jiuchi inwardly marveled at how brilliant his Nian’er’s mind was. "You’re right," he nodded. "There were a few relapses, but nothing serious! We all know the Nightmare didn’t have much time left. As long as Noir managed to hold on, its consciousness would fade away on its own. So I stayed back for a while to help him and make sure the Nightmare couldn’t get up to anything funny. I also spent some time with Xinxin! Oh my God, Nian’er, you have to know how much of a menace he was..."
Jin Jiuchi gestured animatedly as he spoke, determined to lift Shen Nianzu’s spirit.
And sure enough, Shen Nianzu brightened up in an instant when he heard of Gu Luoxin’s recovery journey. He pressed his lips together, sniffed softly and murmured, "Good, very good... I’m so glad that Xinxin is doing well..."
Jin Jiuchi smiled, his gaze impossibly soft and tender.
There was one thing he didn’t say— although only three years had passed in this world, in fact, for Jin Jiuchi, Noir and Xinxin, it had been far longer than that. The Nightmare might be dying, but it was not to be underestimated. Jin Jiuchi ended up spending countless days and nights suppressing it alongside Noir (and Lucius, who surprisingly had been harboring a long-time grudge against the Nightmare). Those days had been fraught with danger and exhaustion, not allowing them a moment to relax. He had been trying to return as soon as he could, but in the end, he could only shorten the time gap by three years.
He had missed Shen Nianzu so much, so unbearably much, that he was going insane from longing.
But there was no need to tell Shen Nianzu all that—or his Nian’er would definitely cry again.
"Everything ends well, doesn’t it?"
Taking a step back, he deliberately tapped on his lips, even throwing a playful wink for good measure. "Shouldn’t Nian’er be focusing on me right now? You haven’t even given me a kiss..."
Shen Nianzu was torn between laughter and tears. The rims of his eyes were still red with remnants of tears, but from now on, only joy and happiness would fill them to the brim. Jin Jiuchi would make sure of that.
With a soft chuckle, Shen Nianzu threw himself into Jin Jiuchi’s arms and pressed a loud smooch on his lips. "I will focus on you for the rest of our lives. How about that?"
Jin Jiuchi blinked, then he threw his head back in laughter. In an elated mood, he swept Shen Nianzu up into his arms and spun him around, giddy with joy.
"Okay, Nian’er!"
.
.
.
The Beast proposed a highly dangerous plan, ready to risk it all and perish together with the Nightmare if needed. He had thought he wouldn’t be able to return to his beloved anymore, but at the last moment—his best friend and good brother (this is a must-have revision from Jin Jiuchi) The Abysswalker, appeared to save the day!
And so, he broke free from the Nightmare Cycle and returned to his white knight’s side.
Happily ever after.
(Mr. Jade Doll’s famous series The White Knight’s Adventure with His Disobedient Beast comes to an end after three years, but for Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi, their lives together has just begun ^^)
When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle: Main Story— The End
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Author’s Note
Congratulations, you have reached the end of WBNC.. QvQ there will be no side story. JJ and Nian’er will continue living happily in this world, while in the other world, Noir has become the Nightmare (but ofc he doesn’t call himself that) and disbanded the Nightmare Cycle. He traverses through worlds that are beneficial for Xinxin’s soul recovery, and after that, they will settle in a world they both like, and Xinxin can finally start to pursue his male god and give him flowers >,< maybe someday, the four of them will meet again and laugh about everything they have been through.
Thank you so much everyone for being here for the past two years and eight months. Honestly, 2024-2025 has been quite difficult for me. Many many times I felt like giving up halfway, but it’s because of your incredible support and warm encouragement that we can finally have this happy ending. For sticking with me through all the highs and lows, the inconsistent updates, the plot holes, the cries and laughter—thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope this story brings joy to your life as it does to mine :"D
Also, I feel the need to say this to the readers—WBNC will be my last story here. No, I won’t quit writing *laugh* I still have sooo many stories I want to write and share with all of you, but maybe not here anymore. Will I return here someday? Not sure, but I will not close the possibility.
If you want up-to-date info regarding my future stories, follow my IG @delanasiwarka (the final illustration for this Chapter is posted there, also a lot of WBNC’s AU hehe)
I wish you happiness, wealth and luck wherever you are and—Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
With this, Jin Jiuchi, Shen Nianzu, Noir, Gu Luoxin and Delana————OUT!
See you again in another story~
