Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 145: Flames

Yan Wang’s fist was fast, accurate, and ruthless.

Wu Sheng couldn’t react in time. His face violently turned to one side as he was hit, and his grip on Yan Wang’s hand weakened.

Seizing the opportunity, Yan Wang pulled back his arm and threw another punch!

Wu Sheng, still seeing stars, instinctively dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow.

But Yan Wang didn’t let up, taking advantage of Wu Sheng’s unsteadiness to pounce on him, pinning him to the ground and reaching for the lighter in his pocket!

Finally regaining his senses amidst the sharp pain, Wu Sheng’s first reaction was to try to flip Yan Wang over!

However, Yan Wang pressed down hard, making it impossible for Wu Sheng to exert any force!

Similarly, Yan Wang couldn’t reach the lighter, as his hand was again firmly grasped by Wu Sheng!

The two were locked in this stalemate, Yan Wang’s eyes red with rage. “I don’t want to kill you. Don’t force me!”

“I don’t want to hurt you either!” Wu Sheng gritted his teeth.

“Ha?” Yan Wang laughed as if hearing a joke, his voice changing. “You don’t want to hurt me? Do you know how I was beaten over those years? Do you know how Chi Zhuolin’s therapists tortured me? They all wanted me dead!”

Wu Sheng was momentarily stunned.

He had wondered why Yan Wang was so obsessed with control over his body and why he harbored such hostility towards Chi Yingxue, thinking it stemmed from just “bearing the pain” and resentment. But could mere resentment brew such intense murderous intent?

Now he understood that what truly drove Yan Wang to kill was the “threat to survival”.

Yan Wang, who had endured all the darkness for Chi Yingxue since childhood, saw only his brother, who cared for his younger sibling and saw Yan Wang as an intruder, and Chi Yingxue, who couldn’t even control his own consciousness…

The chain of events connected at that moment.

In a moment of distraction, Yan Wang managed to grab the lighter.

By the time Wu Sheng reacted and tried to stop him, Yan Wang had already lit the lighter and was about to throw it at the curtains!

Wu Sheng decisively knocked it out!

The next second, as Yan Wang swung his arm to throw, he was suddenly bound tightly by a rope falling from above, and the lighter fell to the ground, burning a black hole in the carpet!

Wu Sheng quickly picked up and extinguished the lighter.

“Xiao Xue knows all the suffering you’ve endured!” Wu Sheng didn’t like playing the role of a persuasive advisor, but facing Yan Wang, he couldn’t bring himself to really harm him because he understood his pain, knew his hatred, and most importantly, they were comrades who had fought side by side!

“Yes, he knows,” Yan Wang sneered, almost ferociously. “And then he continued to hide in the darkness comfortably, coming out when he wanted and pretending to sleep when he wanted. How carefree!”

“It’s not that hiding from beatings means no pain. You know that very well. We are now in Xiao Xue’s heart; have you ever seen a carefree person with such a world inside their heart?!”

Wu Sheng knew his efforts were in vain, as logic had already calculated that trying to dissolve years of accumulated hatred in Yan Wang with a few words was virtually impossible.

But he still didn’t want to give up. Before, he couldn’t understand why some people would never turn back even after hitting a wall, not shedding tears even at the sight of a coffin. Now he knew—there was no reason. They just couldn’t.

“The protection you gave Xiao Xue was the only support for his safe growth. He understands all this.”

“So what if he understands?” Yan Wang looked at Wu Sheng with a laugh, his voice piercing. “Now nobody will beat him. He doesn’t need me anymore, so he wants to erase me from this world!”

“He never wanted you dead,” Wu Sheng said firmly, his eyes stinging. “I’ve met Chi Zhuolin. A person like him would never do anything halfway. The fact that the treatment didn’t continue and Chi Yingxue is still allowed to ‘travel’ and idle away his days can only mean one thing—Xiao Xue doesn’t want to cooperate with the treatment! He never wanted you to disappear!”

Suddenly, Yan Wang stopped struggling, letting the rope bind him, his eyes mockingly sizing up Wu Sheng from top to bottom, as if seeing him for the first time. “I never realized before. You’re even more eloquent than Xu Wang.”

Wu Sheng completely ignored the provocation, wanting to pour out everything in his heart. He said whatever he saw and thought. If Xu Wang were here, he would surely find him inarticulate, but that was all he could do.

“Yan Wang, you live in Xiao Xue’s heart. He lies in the darkness now, but his consciousness is with us, overcoming challenges. Do you think he doesn’t know that you used my and Xu Wang’s strength to pass through the stone chambers, intending to find and kill him here?” Wu Sheng took a deep breath and continued, “He knows, but the last stone wall, he still used your birthday. That was him laying his heart bare to you… That stone chamber was a door left specifically for you.”

“Wow, you almost moved me.” Yan Wang blinked hard, finally squeezing out a tear that slid down his cheek, contrasting with his cynical expression and creating a sense of dissonance.

“You win.” Wu Sheng shrugged. “I’ve said all I can. There’s nothing left to say.”

Yan Wang looked regretful. “Pity, it was just a little bit short.”

Wu Sheng shook his head lightly. “Nobody can reach the deepest part of Chi Yingxue’s heart except for you. His most hidden thoughts are known only to you. If you don’t think it’s a pity, then it’s not.”

Yan Wang’s smile froze on his face.

In Wu Sheng’s peripheral vision, he suddenly noticed the rope on Yan Wang’s body, feeling as if it had slightly loosened from its initial binding…

His heart skipped a beat, instinctively trying to “communicate” with the stationery to strengthen the binding. But Yan Wang was quicker, and before Wu Sheng could see how he escaped, the rope had already fallen to the ground, and Yan Wang had jumped out of its reach!

Free, Yan Wang rubbed his wrists, as if seeing Wu Sheng’s confusion, and explained leisurely from two meters away. “Long illness makes the doctor*. If you were always tied up, you’d also be adept at untying. Oh, right…” He smiled slightly. “Even switching to plastic zip ties won’t work. I can untie those too.”

*(久病成医) Idiom referring to after a long illness, you become familiar with medical principles. It means one can become an expert in a certain area if one has more knowledge about it.

“Bang—”

The sound of a door being broken open echoed from the corridor.

Immediately following were the sounds of messy footsteps approaching rapidly. Xu Wang, Qian Ai, and Kuang Jinxin almost sprinted into the wide-open [West Chamber] [Bright].

Upon entering, the three of them were stunned.

“What are you two doing here?” Qian Ai, not perceiving the undercurrents, noticed the room’s nice decor but thought it wasn’t a reason to have a long conversation here, considering they had almost been trapped!

Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin also felt something odd about the scene but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Added to that, the dim night light and the carpet’s confusing pattern meant they didn’t notice the rope on the ground.

Just then, a sudden cold wind blew in, rattling the door violently.

This was followed by a stern, deep voice, as if exploding from the sky outside the house!

“This is my house. Who allowed you to come in—”

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng had heard this voice before, and for Kuang Jinxin, it was a voice too familiar to be mistaken—Chi Yingxue’s father!

Qian Ai, seeing his teammates’ knowing looks, was confused and anxiously asked, “Who is it?”

Xu Wang replied, “Chi Yingxue’s father.”

Qian Ai’s eyes widened, and he immediately rolled up his sleeves, striding towards the doorway, ready for a showdown. “Finally, we’ve been waiting for this old bastard!”

But halfway there, a shadow suddenly darted in from the doorway, and Qian Ai instinctively stepped aside, perfectly avoiding it. The shadow, moving unabatedly, hit Wu Sheng, who was standing not far behind him!

It all happened too fast. With Qian Ai blocking the door, Wu Sheng had no time to see what was happening. By the time he realized something was wrong, the shadow had already disappeared into his body.

In an instant, Wu Sheng felt a bone-chilling coldness sweep through his entire body, like countless steel needles piercing into his veins and traveling to every limb… including his brain!

In the moment his thoughts started to become chaotic, Wu Sheng finally realized. “He can possess…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was violently pulled out of the room and thrown into the courtyard!

“Wu Sheng!” Xu Wang yelled in shock, immediately running into the courtyard.

Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai quickly followed!

But just as they were about to reach Wu Sheng, who had been helped up by Xu Wang, Wu Sheng suddenly kicked Xu Wang’s abdomen fiercely!

Xu Wang, caught off guard, fell a meter away, writhing in pain for a long while before getting up!

“Captain!” Kuang Jinxin immediately turned to help Xu Wang stand up.

Qian Ai confronted Wu Sheng, restraining his impulse to punch. “What the hell are you doing? Do you even know what you’re doing?!”

Wu Sheng looked at him coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

Qian Ai felt a strange sensation under that unfamiliar gaze, as if the person standing before him wasn’t Wu Sheng but an unknown creature wearing his skin.

“Lao Qian…” Xu Wang stood up with Kuang Jinxin’s help, holding his abdomen and gasping in pain, struggling to say, “It’s possession. Wu Sheng has been possessed by Chi Yingxue’s dad.”

Xu Wang fully understood the situation after that merciless kick.

Qian Ai looked at Xu Wang and then back at “Wu Sheng,” incredulously asking, “Are you kidding me? Is his dad a human or a ghost? And he can possess people?”

Kuang Jinxin added, “Qian Ge, in Xiao Xue’s heart, his dad is a ghost.”

Qian Ai fell silent, slowly approaching Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin, keeping his distance from “Wu Sheng”—as bizarre as it was, what he had seen in the east wing and the current situation forced him to believe.

“Lao Qian, watch your step!” Xu Wang suddenly shouted to Qian Ai, who was walking over.

Qian Ai instinctively looked down and saw “Wu Sheng’s” shadow stretching out, entangling his feet!

It felt like an icy hand grabbing him and refusing to let go!

Qian Ai immediately threw a [Money Dart] at the shadow!

The sharp dart pierced the shadow and lodged into the ground!

As the shadow pulled him with force, Qian Ai’s body lifted off the ground and was dragged in front of “Wu Sheng” in the next second!

Wu Sheng, who had been waiting, immediately grabbed his throat!

Qian Ai felt his throat tighten, unable to breathe. His whole body was immobilized by “Wu Sheng” and his shadow!

The force on his throat grew increasingly violent. If a little more time passed, Qian Ai feared his throat would shatter before he could suffocate!

The lack of oxygen made his eyesight grow darker. As he was about to lose consciousness, the grip suddenly loosened.

Now was the time to escape!

Qian Ai leaned back forcefully, using his own weight to knock “Wu Sheng” over!

“Ouch—”

The one who cried out in pain at the moment of impact was… Xu Wang?

Qian Ai, in a combined lying and pressing position, quickly turned back to see that “Wu Sheng” was pinning down Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin! It turned out that the weakening grip was due to the captain and Kuang Jinxin coming to help pull Wu Sheng’s arms!

He quickly got up, pulling Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin out from under “Wu Sheng”!

As they were freed, “Wu Sheng” also came to his senses.

But he didn’t stand up. Instead, he sat there, slapping his own head violently while growling, as if two forces were struggling inside him!

Xu Wang suddenly realized. “Wu Sheng’s consciousness hasn’t disappeared!”

“What good does that do?” Qian Ai asked, “What do we do now?”

They couldn’t physically attack Wu Sheng. Whether a ghost could be killed by weapons was debatable, but Wu Sheng definitely had no chance of survival!

“Ha ha ha…” “Wu Sheng” suddenly let out a sinister laugh.

The three tensed up, ready to fight side by side, on guard.

“Wu Sheng” slowly stood up, the moonlight casting an eerie glow on his face.

Clearly, the force struggling with him had disappeared, and the evil spirit had regained control.

Xu Wang clenched his teeth in frustration and helplessness. Their current stationeries were either physical attacks or psychological stimuli, but using them would be equivalent to attacking Wu Sheng…

“Children who don’t listen need to be punished.” It spoke softly, its voice raspier and more weathered than Wu Sheng’s usual tone.

Suddenly, a large water-filled vat in the courtyard began to shake, and the next second, it flew into the air, hurtling directly towards Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin!

The two immediately split up and ran as fast as they could!

The vat crashed to the ground between them, shattering instantly. The fragments, mixed with splashing water, flew through the air like sharp blades!

Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin lay flat on the ground, burying their heads like they were avoiding a bomb, barely escaping unscathed!

Qian Ai seized the moment and tackled “Wu Sheng,” pinning him down again!

But the possessed Wu Sheng was incredibly strong, struggling fiercely, almost flipping Qian Ai over several times!

Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin got up and rushed over to help hold him down!

The three of them, working together, could barely control Wu Sheng, but this was clearly not a sustainable solution.

“What do we do now?” Qian Ai was on the verge of breaking down. “We can’t hit him hard since it’s in Wu Sheng’s body, but we can’t keep this up either!”

Xu Wang, pressing down one of “Wu Sheng’s” arms, had been too preoccupied with escaping to think clearly. Now, he finally had a few seconds to contemplate.

But before he could come up with anything, Kuang Jinxin spoke up. “Captain, why do we have to fight him? The key to completing the task is to find Xiao Xue.”

This woke Xu Wang up, like a revelation.

If it weren’t for holding down “Wu Sheng”, he would have slapped his thigh in realization!

Looking up, he saw Yan Wang still standing inside the room and immediately yelled, “Don’t just stand there. Go check if Xiao Xue is in the cabinet. If not, look in the other two rooms!”

Yan Wang was stunned, having been in a daze for a long time. Since the shadow had possessed Wu Sheng and drawn everyone out of the room, he had been standing motionless, as if deep in thought or perhaps not thinking at all.

After a few seconds of waiting, Yan Wang remained still, causing Xu Wang to worry. “You’re not running out of battery, are you? Don’t fail us now…”

“I’m not a phone. I don’t run on batteries,” Yan Wang finally said.

Xu Wang sighed in relief and urged, “Hurry up then. We can’t hold him down for long!”

Yan Wang tilted his head, asking leisurely, “Why should I help you?”

Xu Wang was speechless. “We’re teammates!”

Yan Wang froze, a dark and unclear light flickering in his eyes.

Xu Wang suddenly realized. “Oh right, you haven’t reached that point yet.” He muttered to himself, not caring if the other understood. “Anyway, let me tell you, we’re teammates in the future. You and Chi Yingxue are the main forces of our team! You’re the muscle, he’s the face. You’re responsible for precision strikes, he’s responsible for looking good. In short, you two are simply the best additions to our team!”

Yan Wang watched him for a while, then laughed. “Such high praise.”

“Of course.” Xu Wang was earnest, not lying or flattering. “You have no idea how awesome you’ll be later on!”

Yan Wang fell silent again and stood there quietly. The wind dispersed the clouds, allowing the moonlight to shine brightly yet failing to reveal the emotions in his eyes.

Qian Ai, feeling a bit jealous, took advantage of the quiet moment to make a point. “If they’re the best teammates, what about me and Kuang Jinxin?”

Xu Wang glanced at him. “Xiao Kuang was automatically paired by Owl, and you came in the second round, plus you’re an old classmate. So strictly speaking, you two are our team’s ‘childhood friends’. In life, you can choose your friends and your lovers, but not your childhood friends. It’s destiny, you know?”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Qian Ai: “……”

Though not entirely satisfied, they strangely found it to make sense.

“Finding Chi Yingxue is useless…” Yan Wang suddenly walked out of the room, approaching the center of the battleground.

Xu Wang didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

Yan Wang came to their side, crouching down to help hold down “Wu Sheng”.

“To truly make him come out of the cabinet,” he said, looking down at “Wu Sheng”, “we need to extinguish his inner demon.”

Xu Wang saw the murderous intent in his eyes and became alert. “What are you planning to do?”

Before he could finish, Yan Wang suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed fiercely towards Wu Sheng’s chest!

Xu Wang, Kuang Jinxin, and Qian Ai jolted; even “Wu Sheng” changed color.

Xu Wang knocked him aside, while Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin rolled “Wu Sheng” away!

Yan Wang wasn’t knocked down but missed his target as his body swayed, the dagger stabbing into the crack between floor tiles!

“Calm down. He might be possessed, but he’s still Wu Sheng!” Qian Ai, still holding “Wu Sheng”, wanted to shake some sense into Yan Wang.

“It can be interpreted the other way around.” Yan Wang remained unmoved, pulling out the dagger and turning around with a gentle smile. “Kill Wu Sheng, and you kill him too.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Qian Ai: “You’re crazy…”

Yan Wang happily accepted the evaluation, gripping the dagger tightly and attacking again!

He really intended to kill, not just bluff or anything else. Xu Wang saw it clearly!

“Wu Sheng”, too, clearly felt the intent to kill!

Just as Xu Wang hesitated whether to use restrictive stationery on Yan Wang, the black shadow suddenly left Wu Sheng’s body, floated into the air, and rushed at extreme speed towards Yan Wang, who was attacking!

Just two steps in front of Wu Sheng, Yan Wang suddenly stopped and froze.

The shadow plunged into his chest and vanished without a trace.

Yan Wang looked down, touching his chest as if he hadn’t quite grasped what had happened.

But Xu Wang already understood the shadow’s intention.

When the “possessed” could no longer serve as a shield, possession lost its purpose. So, it didn’t matter who he possessed; Yan Wang would not hesitate to kill them unless he possessed the one person who wasn’t afraid to kill.

Wu Sheng felt the chill inside him slowly fading, along with his body temperature and consciousness returning.

9/23, Chi Yingxue’s dream, Yan Wang’s lies… Everything became clear again in his thoughts.

Wu Sheng opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, seeing Xu Wang protecting him, with Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin standing beside, looking puzzledly forward.

Following their gaze, Wu Sheng saw [West Wing] [Bright]—Yan Wang had just walked into the room.

Wu Sheng frowned.

Confused, Qian Ai directly addressed Yan Wang’s back. “Are you Yan Wang or Chi Yingxue’s father right now?”

Yan Wang turned around; his eyes chaotic. He gripped the door frame tightly, his knuckles turning white and his body trembling uncontrollably from the struggle of two forces looking like he was in extreme pain.

But eventually, he calmed down and slowly raised his head. His eyes became clear again, and with a familiar and warm smile on his face covered with beads of sweat, he said, “Who do you think I am?”

Qian Ai was astonished. “It didn’t take control of you?”

“He got three things wrong. One, he’s alive now because of Chi Yingxue’s fear, but I’ve never been afraid of him. Two…” Yan Wang shrugged, still breathless but smugly arching an eyebrow. “Battling for a body, that’s my specialty…”

“Three, Chi Yingxue’s heart harbors darkness. Sorry, my entire heart is a black hole.” He gently tapped his chest, as if whispering to the trapped shadow inside. “Once you’re in here, don’t even think about getting out.”

Qian Ai’s brows were still knotted. It was good that Yan Wang wasn’t controlled, but why did he go back inside the room?

Yan Wang lightly flipped his hand, revealing a lighter in his fingertips.

Wu Sheng felt a jolt in his heart and immediately checked his pocket. As expected, the lighter was gone!

Obviously, Yan Wang had taken the opportunity to approach and steal the lighter while he was possessed!

The warm flame reignited.

Along with it, the velvet curtains also caught fire. Almost instantly, the window became a sea of flames.

This time, Wu Sheng couldn’t stop it in time.

Xu Wang, Kuang Jinxin, and Qian Ai were completely stunned, unable to comprehend what he was thinking or doing.

But they could only watch.

The team’s only remaining stationery, possibly capable of fighting the fire [Extreme Freeze], had already been used by Qian Ai.

The wind fueled the fire, and in a moment, the flames engulfed half the room, the firelight casting a red glow on the moon.

Yan Wang returned to the doorway and tossed the extinguished lighter back to Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng reflexively caught it.

Yan Wang smiled at him, his gaze passing over the four of them. “This is the first time I’ve used my own identity to help you guys pass a level. It’s not a bad feeling.”

Finally, he looked at Xu Wang and unexpectedly called out, “Captain.”

Xu Wang froze, instinctively responding, “Huh?”

Yan Wang curled his lips. “Remember, I, Yan Wang, joined the team first.”

After saying that, he turned and walked into the blazing fire.

The flames instantly swallowed his figure, along with the black evil spirit trapped inside his body.

The next second, a cabinet was kicked out of the fire, rolling to the doorway and landing in the courtyard.

Flames roared into the sky.

Just two seconds after the cabinet was kicked out, the roof collapsed with a “boom”.

Tiles clattered into the sea of flames, along with broken beams, all devoured by the fire.

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