Hell's Handbook

Since that was Ning Meng’s wish, Su Jin was happy to fulfil it. He retrieved his Handbook, which was something he hadn’t taken out in a long, long time. He was a little nervous though, since a good ten years had already passed. Who knew if Ning Ran was still alive after a hundred Challenges?

But he was surprised instead. Ning Ran’s name was still in his Handbook. He had added her to his friend’s list back then and it had come in handy today.

He tried to call her and it got through easily. After ten years, Ning Ran looked more mature now. She was stunned for a moment when she saw Su Jin, then exclaimed, “Mr. Su! It’s really you! I thought there was something wrong with my Handbook!”

“Ah, yes! It’s me! It’s been ten years, and you’ve actually become a god,” said Su Jin with some admiration. That was the biggest change he had noticed about her. That somewhat frail looking young lady he had met then had managed to become a god, even if she was just a low tier god.

Ning Ran smiled bitterly as she shook her head, “I just seized the opportunity I had and barely managed to become a god. Not only have I lived nothing like a god for the past few years, but my life has also been extremely tough.”

Su Jin sighed. There were many gods just like Ning Ran. In order to escape the monthly grind of the Handbook, becoming a god was the best way out. There were some methods that could help an owner become a god quite easily, but they would become very weak gods. Powerful owners could still be a threat to them, so such gods were also called lousy tier gods.

“By the way, there’s someone who wants to see you!” Su Jin moved aside to reveal Ning Meng.

Bam!

Ning Ran dropped her Handbook onto the floor, but she quickly picked it up again. Her hands trembled as she stared at the person she was seeing and tears began to flow as she exclaimed in disbelief, “Sis, it’s you… it really is you…”

Su Jin didn’t want to interrupt their sisterly reunion, so he moved away and gave the sisters their own time and space.

Things were even more exciting for Yang Mo. He had been away for ten years, but unlike Ning Meng, his entire family was still alive when he died, and they were probably still alive even ten years later.

After Ning Meng had finished speaking to her sister, Su Jin got ready to send them back to their own worlds. They were no longer Handbook owners, so they could return to their ordinary lives. Also, Su Jin wanted to return to his own world to tell his parents and younger sister that he was getting married.

Back when he first went into seclusion, Su Jin did not expect himself to take such a long time. Then again, he had also thought about deliberately distancing himself from his family.

He was going down a very different path, after all. If he succeeded, all was well. But if he failed, then he was doomed. His family was nothing to the will of the universe. If he kept his distance from them, then even if he failed in his mission, they wouldn’t be implicated. However, since he was about to get married and he couldn’t hide some of these things from them forever, he decided to take a trip back home.

He led the two of them through the wall that divided the universes and sent Yang Mo home first. Yang Mo could still remember where his home address was, since their memories were stuck at the point when they died, even though they had been dead for ten years.

Su Jin and Ning Meng came to Yang Mo’s home with him. His folks hadn’t moved at all, but Yang Mo was still a little stunned when he stared at the door to his house. He murmured, “It looks so much older now.”

“It’s been ten years, after all,” said Su Jin with a sigh.

Yang Mo reached for a set of keys that were hidden in the door frame without thinking, then unlocked the door.

“Who’s that? Old man? You came back from somewhere?” a woman yelled from inside the house.

“Where would I come back from? I didn’t go out today at all!” a male voice yelled from a different room.

Yang Mo froze instantly. His lips trembled for a moment, then blurted out, “Dad… Mom… It’s me, Momo! I’m back!”

Yang Mo’s voice went from being hoarse to cracking. It had been ten whole years! It was just a moment to him, but the last decade had been a full ten, painful years to his parents.

“Get out, you scammer! My son… my son’s already dead!” yelled the man from earlier on. Su Jin and Ning Meng could hear the rage in his voice.

“Dad!” Yang Mo cried out as best as he could through his tears before running straight into the room. Su Jin and Ning Meng heard the sound of something dropping onto the floor, followed by the sound of crying. It was the sound of two men crying at first, then the sound of a woman crying joined in. They cried from the pain they had felt all these years but also the joy of reuniting.

Su Jin left a credit card behind, then motioned to Ning Meng to leave with him so as not to disturb Yang Mo anymore. From that day on, this member of Team Boning Knife was quitting the team forever. Su Jin also hoped he never had to return to the team. It was better for him to live like this instead.

After a long time, Yang Mo suddenly remembered that Su Jin and Ning Meng had come with him and were still outside. He quickly led his parents back outside to introduce them to his friends, only to find that Su Jin and Ning Meng had already left, leaving behind nothing but a credit card on the table.

“Mo, where are you friends?” asked Yang Mo’s father puzzledly.

Yang Mo murmured, “They’re gone… my friends… they’re gone…”

After sending Yang Mo home, Su Jin took Ning Meng to her universe. Ning Ran was already waiting for her there and they immediately embraced each other and cried their hearts out when they met.

Su Jin wasn’t going to stick around and impose on them, but when he was about to leave, Ning Ran suddenly called out to him, “Mr. Su!”

He paused for a moment, then smiled as he said, “Why, you’re hoping to prevent me from leaving?”

“No, no, I’m not capable of doing such a thing. It’s just that… you’re now the entire Handbook universe’s enemy, so… please be careful,” said Ning Ran with a sad smile.

He nodded and thanked her, “Thanks for that. Don’t worry, I still have some friends around.”

After that, he bid farewell to the two sisters and headed back to his own world. He had no idea if he would be able to see Ning Meng again. Perhaps there was a chance.

Once he left, Ning Ran looked a little guilty. Ning Meng noticed her expression and asked, “Ning Ran, are you hiding something from me?”

“No, it’s nothing. Elder Sis, you’ve just come back, so I think you need a lot of rest!” said Ning Ran cutely, even though she looked a lot older than Ning Meng.

But Ning Meng furrowed her brows and refused to let the topic go. “No, I can tell from your expression that you’ve done something against your conscience. You might be able to fool other people, but you can’t fool me. Hurry up and tell me, or I’ll get angry!”

Ning Ran hesitated, then finally gave in, “Alright, alright. In any case, as long as I don’t tell Mr. Su about this, it’ll be fine. It’s okay to tell you.”

“Something that you cannot tell my team leader? What is it?” asked Ning Meng anxiously.

Ning Ran sighed and said, “It’s the will of the universe. The one whom Mr. Su is going against, the head of Hell’s Handbook and the ruler of the universes. Mr. Su might very well run into him.”

“Damn it! Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Ning Meng immediately blew her top.

Ning Ran shrank back and said, “I don’t really have a choice… I’m a low tier god of the Handbook and I have very little power, plus I wouldn’t dare to do anything that goes against the Handbook or the will of the universe.”

“If I wanted you to do something, would you?” Ning Meng asked her sister as she took her hand.

Ning Ran nodded immediately, and Ning Meng said, “Go over to where Su Jin is and join his temple.”

Ning Ran stared at her with widened eyes but didn’t say anything. Ning Meng sighed and said, “I’ll give you ten days to think about it. If you’re still unwilling to do that, then… I won’t force you to.”

Su Jin had left his world for a full ten years and a lot had changed since then. For some reason, he actually returned to his bungalow in S City first, which had already been rented out to another person altogether. He only wanted to check the place out for sentimental reasons, only to find that the new tenant was actually Han Mengyao.

He didn’t say hello to her. Some people in his life were meant to be nothing more than passersby. Interacting with them again would only cause them more hurt.

When he got back to his hometown, he took a deep breath. He was also a little worried. He was worried that his parents might have already passed on from old age, or that something bad had happened to his family but he didn’t know about it. But when he pushed the door open, he found Su Qing carrying a baby with a blissful look on her face.

Su Jin wasn’t sure how to react at first, but there was joy in his heart. The little one had similar genes to himself, so the baby was definitely his own niece.

Su Qing noticed him in the doorway and said to the baby, “Xiaoyan, look who’s here? It’s your uncle! Uncle’s back!”