Extinguished

Chen Ling stepped out the door as he thought, and several flakes of white swept past his eyes.

He froze slightly and looked up at the sky.

"...It's snowing?"

Beneath the azure aurora, snowflakes drifted down from the sky like floating willow fluff. Chen Ling reached out and caught one, its crystalline eight-pointed shape slowly melting in the warmth of his hand.

"Aurora Domain is different from the other domains. There are no four seasons here, only winter." Chu Muyun slowly stepped out of the house and caught a snowflake as well. He spoke with some confusion. "But didn't this snow come a little suddenly?"

"Was it that sudden?" Chen Ling asked.

"A few days ago, there was a once-in-ten-years rainstorm, and now it suddenly started snowing today... It feels like the weather in Aurora Domain is becoming more and more chaotic."

Chu Muyun pondered, his brow tightening further and further.

"Brother, the snow's falling so fast."

Chen Yan, draped in his opera robe, rushed onto the street. Standing amid the increasingly dense snowfall, his chestnut eyes brimmed with delight and anticipation. "At this rate, there'll be enough snow to build a snowman tomorrow!"

Warmth appeared in Chen Ling's eyes as he watched the red-clad youth reach out to catch snowflakes. He smiled.

"You build one every year. Haven't you had enough?"

"This time is different." Chen Yan spoke seriously. "The snow is really heavy this time. Maybe I can build more than a dozen in one go... Then we can pile up a tall platform, and I can practice opera on it, with the snowmen as my audience."

"Am I not enough of an audience for you?"

"Brother, who performs opera with only one audience member every time..." Chen Yan pouted. "If I never have an audience, what if I get stage fright when I perform at school?"

"...True." Chen Ling smiled and slowly raised his head to the sky.

"Then it would be nice if this snow could keep falling."

"If it kept falling, it'd turn into a snow disaster." Chu Muyun pushed up his glasses. After hesitating for a moment, he took a wool overcoat from inside and put it on. "I need to go out."

Chen Ling and Chen Yan exchanged a glance.

"Will you be back for dinner?"

"Yes."

As Chu Muyun's figure gradually disappeared at the end of the street, Chen Ling checked the time. "I should get going too. Mountain roads aren't easy to travel in snow..."

"Wait!" As if remembering something, Chen Yan quickly ran back inside and stuffed the cotton overcoat he had stayed up all night mending into Chen Ling's hands.

"Brother, I fixed it for you... Be careful going up the mountain today. Don't get into fights again."

Chen Yan's tone was unusually stern.

Chen Ling carefully examined the coat and found almost no traces of damage. It looked as good as new, and he could not help praising him.

"Our A-Yan really is handy..."

Chen Yan giggled.

"I'm off."

Chen Ling waved and headed straight for Second District.

Just as Chen Yan had hoped, the snow fell heavier and heavier. By the time Chen Ling was halfway there, the snow had already covered the soles of his shoes. Icy snowmelt seeped beneath his feet, chilling him from the inside out.

He rubbed his hands together as he pushed forward through the snow, muttering inwardly.

Could this really turn into a snow disaster?

He walked for a long time. There were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the streets, but more and more Enforcers sped past him.

Dressed in black-and-red uniforms, they rode urgently toward some destination without sparing Chen Ling a glance. Snowflakes churned up by the airflow slapped against his face. He wiped his face and looked in the direction they had gone with confusion...

"What happened?"

Chen Ling did not know, nor was he interested in following them to investigate. As long as they were not heading for Frost Street, what did he care where they were going?

After walking for about three hours, Chen Ling returned to the familiar Ice Spring Street. The ruins had mostly been cleared away, and the desolate half of the street seemed even more deathly beneath the blanket of snow.

Just as he was about to find Qian Fan and the others to ask for today's assignment, several figures hurried toward him and waved enthusiastically.

"Brother Chen Ling!"

The arrivals were none other than Qian Fan and the others.

"Lord Qian."

Chen Ling still politely added the honorific "Lord." After all, he had not completely torn things apart with Qian Fan and the others, so they still had to keep up appearances.

"What's today's assignment?"

"Assignment? No assignment necessary." Qian Fan waved a large hand. "Given your... ah, outstanding performance yesterday, the higher-ups have decided to reserve an Enforcer position for you. You can go straight home today, then report to headquarters in Third District tomorrow."

Chen Ling was stunned.

On the way here, he had imagined countless possibilities. Perhaps the people of Ice Spring Street would be waiting to ambush him in retaliation, perhaps Qian Fan and the others would finally drop all pretenses and make things difficult for him, or perhaps they would tell him he had been removed from consideration for an Enforcer position and send him straight home...

But he had never expected to be accepted outright.

That can't be right... Did Ma Zhong really take a liking to my abilities and want to recruit me?

Chen Ling had only met Ma Zhong once and did not know the man well. For the moment, he could not figure out what Ma Zhong was really thinking...

"From now on, we're colleagues." Qian Fan smiled and patted Chen Ling on the shoulder, as if they were close friends of many years. "There may have been some misunderstandings between us before. Brother Chen Ling, you won't hold it against us, right?"

"That's right, Brother Chen Ling. Come to Second District and play cards with us whenever you have the time. You'll always be welcome."

"Almost forgot, there's also this... This year's trial was different from previous years. Although you were on the Reserve Seat, you really did three days of work for us official Enforcers, so the higher-ups decided to give you a subsidy. It's not much, but you've got a long road ahead... Enforcers are paid quite generously."

Qian Fan stuffed a small roll of oil paper into Chen Ling's hand. Chen Ling accepted it in surprise, peeled back a corner, and peeked inside.

Ten silver coins.

Chen Ling's heart jolted.

In this world, one silver coin had the purchasing power of 250 copper coins, while a copper coin was worth about the same as one yuan in his previous life. This tiny roll of oil paper was worth 2,500 yuan...

It was not an enormous sum, but Chen Ling had only worked for two days.

Zhao Yi had spent an entire exhausting day melting frost for the Road Bureau, and the two of them had earned only twenty copper coins... Just the two-day subsidy for the Reserve Seat was this high. How much could official Enforcers possibly earn?

Chen Ling gave them a deep look and could not help sighing inwardly. Sometimes, respect and courtesy really were reserved for the strong...

Yesterday, they had driven Wu Youdong away. If Chen Ling had not possessed [Slaughter Waltz], he probably would not have escaped the same fate... Yet now, they could only smile at him ingratiatingly, because he now had the qualifications to stand on equal footing with them.

Chen Ling did not think of himself as the protagonist of some power fantasy. He could not simply rely on the hot-blooded urge of "You messed with me, so I'll beat you to death!" and kill these hypocrites where they stood... Doing that would be no different from declaring war on Aurora Domain's entire enforcement system.

His home was still on Frost Street. His younger brother was about to return to school. He needed an Enforcer identity to pursue the War God Path... No matter how he looked at it, he should go with the flow and let the matter end here.

"Then thank you all." Chen Ling said blandly without even raising his head.

"Brother Chen Ling, the roads are slippery in this heavy snow. Take care on your way back." Qian Fan's smile did not fade. "The list of Reserve Seat members becoming official should be posted by noon today. Keep an eye out for it on your way home. If fate allows, we'll meet again."

Chen Ling gave them a couple of lukewarm replies before turning and heading home.

As Chen Ling walked away, the warm smiles on Qian Fan and the others' faces gradually faded, replaced by coldness and disdain.

"This Chen Ling really doesn't know when to quit." An Enforcer sneered.

"Once Brother Ma finishes things over there, Third District will be turned upside down... Let's see how much longer he can keep jumping around then."

"Speaking of which, has there been any news from Brother Ma's side?"

"No idea..."

"Judging by the time, it should be soon."

Just as they spoke, someone came running hurriedly from the distance. He slipped in the heavy snow and nearly fell to the ground.

"He's dead...!"

"Who's dead?"

"Han Meng, the Chief Enforcer of Third District, is dead!!" He rose to his feet and shouted. "News came from Third District that he fought two Calamities alone and ultimately perished with them!"

"Enforcer Ma Zhong is temporarily taking over as chief. He has already ordered Third District to be unsealed immediately, and Second District will be unsealed soon too!"

At that news, everyone's eyes lit up!

"It worked!!"

"Has it been confirmed? Is Han Meng really dead?" Qian Fan asked once more.

"That's what the news from Third District says. It was delivered personally by one of Brother Ma's trusted men."

Qian Fan immediately felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted. He beamed with delight.

"With Han Meng, that mountain, gone, life will be much easier for us."

"Ice Spring Street's business can finally get moving too... Go gather Bone Knife and his bunch. Find more dancers and prostitutes too. Get good wine and meat, and throw a victory banquet!

"Let them know whose side they need to be on if they want meat to eat in the future."

"Got it, Brother Fan!"

With ten silver coins tucked away, Chen Ling slowly crossed the back mountain. Flying snow dusted his black hair white with frost.

He had just spent two hours walking here from Third District, stayed for less than five minutes, and now had to walk all the way back... By the time he returned to Frost Street, it would probably be noon again.

Still, he had received good news and earned ten silver coins. The money was enough to buy new clothes for himself and Chen Yan, and he could also hire someone to fill the gaps in the house so they would not freeze indoors on snowy days.

"There's still plenty of Expectation Value. We can live peacefully for a few days." Chen Ling glanced at the characters flashing across the snow and muttered to himself.

Now that he thought about it, compared to when he had just transmigrated here, things really had improved a great deal... Ever since he had seized his body back from the Audience, the Audience had not interfered with the things around him for a long time. Everything was moving in a better direction.

He walked through the snow for a long time. By the time the snow rose above his ankles, he finally returned to Frost Street.

He was about to head straight home when he caught sight of the pastry shop beside him, which was preparing to close. A thought stirred in his heart, and he slowly stopped.

"Boss, how much is this cake?"

Chen Ling pointed to an exquisitely designed cake in the display window.

"Two hundred copper coins." The owner looked up. Upon recognizing Chen Ling, his eyebrows rose slightly. "A-Ling? Why do you suddenly want to buy a cake?"

They were all neighbors on Frost Street, so the shop owner knew Chen Ling. But given Chen Ling's family circumstances, they had never bought anything from the store before... To be honest, there were not many households on all of Frost Street that could afford a two-hundred-copper-coin cake. Even the small cake cups that cost fifty copper coins were rarely bought.

"I passed the Martial Trial." Chen Ling smiled. "I'm buying a cake to celebrate. My little brother has never eaten cake in his life."

"You became an official Enforcer?"

The owner spoke in surprise. "Then you really should celebrate properly... How about this? I'll charge you one hundred and fifty."

"Thank you, Boss."

"No need to thank me. Frost Street will need you to look after it more in the future."

The owner packaged the cake, tied it with a festive red ribbon, and handed it to Chen Ling with both hands.

Chen Ling took the cake, paid, and headed directly home. He had barely taken a few steps when he heard several Enforcers race past him from the side.

"The Calamity has been eliminated! Third District is unsealed!"

"The Calamity has been eliminated! Third District is unsealed!!"

"..."

As the Enforcers' voices gradually faded into the distance, some residents of Frost Street began coming out of their homes, all looking as though a weight had been lifted from their chests.

Third District had been sealed for five days since the Calamity Bell rang, leaving everyone in constant panic. Now that the Calamity was dead, life could finally return to normal... With that thought, even the snow filling the sky suddenly seemed pleasing to the eye.

But the moment Chen Ling heard the news, his heart lurched.

The Calamity has been eliminated?

But I'm still here... Could it be A-Yan?!

Chen Ling instinctively quickened his pace and hurried home. Yet when he reached his doorstep, he knew his worry had been unnecessary...

The familiar red-clad youth was crouched outside the door, seriously rolling snowballs. He carefully stacked them together to form the outline of a snowman, but his hand slipped, and the two snowballs immediately smashed into pieces.

Chen Yan sighed. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Chen Ling approaching from afar. His tightly furrowed brow instantly relaxed, and he spoke in surprise.

"Brother, why are you back so early?"

"I passed the assessment ahead of time, so I came back a little early." Chen Ling sighed in relief and smiled.

He did not know what had happened among the Enforcers, nor which Calamity they had eliminated... As long as he and Chen Yan were safe and sound, nothing else mattered.

"You passed?" Chen Yan's mouth fell open. "Brother, you're really going to be an Enforcer now?"

"That's right."

Chen Ling entered the house, set the cake on the table, and beckoned to him. "This is a rare opportunity. I bought a cake, so let's celebrate together."

At the word cake, Chen Yan's eyes immediately lit up. He dashed into the house, his fluttering opera robe sweeping in a large flurry of snow. In a flash, he was seated at the table, curiously watching Chen Ling unwrap the box.

"Brother, this cake must be expensive, right?"

"Not expensive." Chen Ling smiled. He pulled a handful of silver coins from his clothes and spread them across the table. "Your brother has money now... Our family will have even more money in the future."

"So much money." Chen Yan's eyes widened in shock. "We can use it for a long time..."

"You're going back to school too, so this solves the tuition problem."

Chen Ling opened the package, revealing a huge cream cake on the table. To Chen Ling, its craftsmanship and ingredients could not compare with those from his previous life, but to Chen Yan, it was something he had gazed at through display windows countless times without ever being able to have.

Chen Yan could not help swallowing.

"Brother... should we wait for Doctor Chu?"

"No need. Who knows when he'll come back? We can just save him a slice." Chen Ling took out several complimentary candles, stuck them into the cake, and lit them one after another.

Orange candlelight flickered in the room, illuminating the faces of the two youths and the snowflakes swirling beyond the house.

"A-Yan, you blow them out."

"Can I blow out candles even if it's not my birthday?" Chen Yan asked.

"Of course... Just remember to make a wish first."

"Okay!"

Chen Yan immediately clasped his hands and solemnly lowered his head beneath the candlelight, like a devout worshipper.

Chen Ling did not know what wish Chen Yan had made. He only saw Chen Yan open his eyes and smile at him, his chestnut eyes clear as water.

"What did you wish for?" Chen Ling asked.

"I can't tell you. If I say it, it won't come true..."

"True..."

"Excuse me, is Chen Ling home?"

As the two spoke, a figure cautiously approached the doorway and looked inside from the heavy snow.

"Wu Youdong?" Chen Ling recognized the figure leaning on a cane and raised his brows in surprise. "Why are you here? Come in and talk."

Wu Youdong smiled awkwardly and slowly entered the house. He glanced at the cake and candles on the table, his eyes full of envy...

"I saw the posted list on the street just now. You became official?"

"That's right."

"...Congratulations." Wu Youdong's smile carried bitterness. "I thought you would be forced out like me, but I never expected... you actually made it."

When he said that, Chen Ling heard the sourness and helplessness buried deep in his words.

"Brother, who is he?" Chen Yan studied Wu Youdong curiously.

"His name is Wu Youdong. He's the friend who went with me to Ice Spring Street these past two days."

Wu Youdong froze.

"A friend?" Chen Yan mused. "Then should we give him a piece of cake too?"

"Mm, of course he should get a piece."

"Will you cut it, or should I?"

"No rush. We haven't finished blowing out the candles yet."

As Chen Ling spoke, he waved to the bewildered Wu Youdong beside him. "Youdong, don't just stand there. Sit down and have a piece with us."

"Ah? Oh... okay."

Wu Youdong slowly sat down at the table,

His expression strange, he looked at Chen Ling, then at the space beside him...

"Chen Ling..."

"Mm?"

"Can I ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"Since just now... who have you been talking to?"

Chen Ling froze.

A bone-chilling gust of wind suddenly swept into the room, and the burning candle flames went out at once.