Across from him was someone from the martial world. Subconsciously, Shi Jingzhi rolled up his flag, fearing to be recognized. He murmured in agreement, preparing to leave in a hurry. However, just as he was about to take a step, he heard Yin Ci speak, “Chigou Protector Hua Jingchun?”
Hua Jingchun’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Indeed. It seems you know quite a bit.”
Shi Jingzhi stopped abruptly, a bit stunned. Without Yin Ci explaining, he had already recognized Chigou… The Chigou Protector had fallen to such a state?
There were six Protectors in the Chigou sect, each with eighteen elders under them, responsible for different tasks. Though the title of Protector wasn’t the highest in the sect, anyone who could become a Protector in the huge Chigou sect was notable. Shi Jingzhi had no impression of the woman before him, who had lost a leg. Considering she rarely showed herself, she likely served as an “Internal Protector”, responsible for tools and artifacts.
Sadly for her, both of them wore masks and had simple clothing, making them seem unimportant. Hua Jingchun wasn’t particularly interested in them and focused on her injured leg. Thanks to the anti-inflammatory medicine Shi Jingzhi applied, it seemed her remaining half leg might be saved.
However, Yin Ci continued to inquire with a series of lies. “Senior, I have relatives in Chigou and haven’t heard from them for a while. I’ve heard some rumors about the sect, but wasn’t the Young Patriarch brought back?”
Feeling obligated due to their help, Hua Jingchun replied, “Your relative? What do they do?”
Yin Ci bowed slightly. “They serve tea in the Immortal Seeker’s Residence.”
Recognizing the name of the guest courtyard in the Chigou sect, Hua Jingchun seemed to relax. After observing Yin Ci for a moment, she sighed. “Whether he has returned or not, having this Young Patriarch is worse than not having one at all.”
Yin Ci tried to further steer the conversation. “From what I’ve heard, if the position of the Patriarch is vacant, it is up to the three Great Protectors and the six Protectors to nominate a new leader. The returned Young Patriarch should have a token and be endorsed by at least a Protector.”
“That’s right.” As Hua Jingchun used a knife dipped in strong alcohol to cut away the decayed flesh from her wound, she hissed in pain.
“If that’s the case, then it’s settled. The Young Patriarch has the Bone Sweeping Sword, surely chosen by Matron Wuxue herself. Matron Wuxue has an excellent judgment of character, so how could she choose someone who’s ‘worse than having none’?”
Hua Jingchun paused, her expression darkening. “Your relative won’t die. It’s better if you don’t ask too many questions.”
She then signaled to the people around her. The leader among them smiled and said, “For saving Sister Hua, you won’t be short changed. Please follow us. It’s getting crowded here, and the air isn’t great.”
Though the setting was just a mud wall and straw ground, the message was clear: they were being dismissed.
But patience was key. The master and disciple didn’t protest and turned to leave. As they moved away, Hua Jingchun started whispering with her group. Due to their abilities, one having formidable inner force and the other with three hundred years of hearing and eyesight, they managed to catch some of the conversation.
“…That Young Patriarch absolutely cannot ascend…”
“Our brethren are from humble beginnings… He’s not just persecuting the commoners; those injured are our own kin…”
“…He barely got started and sent Sister Hua away… She’s in charge of the artifacts. The Bone Sweeping Sword might be fake…”
Shi Jingzhi signaled to Yin Ci. The Chigou Sect had been orderly for a long time, and the members weren’t blindly loyal; they wouldn’t be led like sheep to the slaughter.
“From what they’re saying, this new Young Patriarch has major issues. If he’s from the Immortal Assembly, that would be even better,” Shi Jingzhi said excitedly. “In any case, he’s not a good person. We’ll find an opportunity to capture him and let Su Si interrogate him.”
“Mm.” Yin Ci paused, pretending to remove a piece of grass from Shi Jingzhi’s hair.
Back with Hua Jingchun, the conversation continued, “… But isn’t he the grandchild of Su Zhu? If we take action, it won’t be justified… What if the Protectors…”
Shi Jingzhi’s smile froze, and Yin Ci’s hand stilled in the air. Shi Jingzhi slowly turned his head, with terror evident in his eyes shooting out of the Nuo mask.
“Ah Ci, you… I, this…” Shi Jingzhi, leaning on the flagpole, seemed to be in a daze. “That Young Patriarch…”
He was the great-grandson of Sun Huaijin, who lived during the same era as “Su Zhi”. Given that Yin Ci was ageless, it wouldn’t be strange if he had a family. Shi Jingzhi’s mind was a mess, and a sour feeling emerged within the confusion.
It felt like his nose was blocked. He couldn’t smell the stench of blood in the courtyard, only the scent coming from Yin Ci.
Yin Ci finally removed the blade of grass from his mouth and gazed deeply at the swaying Shi Jingzhi. Waiting until he stopped wobbling, Yin Ci, with a hint of amusement, shook his head and gently tapped Shi Jingzhi’s face. “I have never married, nor do I have children. Don’t worry, you can’t possibly be someone’s great-grandfather.”
Sect Master Shi finally recovered from the dizziness of the confusing generational discussion. “Is the Young Patriarch an imposter?”
“‘Su Zhi’s’ reputation is well known. Over the years, I’ve encountered many claiming to be my descendants.” Yin Ci scoffed. “However, to get the acknowledgment of the Chigou Sect, this person’s martial arts skills must be extraordinary—isn’t it wonderful? My lovely grandson will ascend to power soon, and the ‘great-grandparents’ will attend the ceremony.”
Shi Jingzhi: “……”
Suddenly, he empathized with Sun Huaijin’s past confusion. For the first time, he felt much older. Standing in sorrow for a while, he touched his non-existent beard. “Husband is right. Let’s proceed this way.”
A hint of Yin Ci’s fierce expression drained away. Unexpectedly stunned, he turned his head. Shi Jingzhi looked left and right, noticing a hint of blush on Yin Ci’s ear.
The Chigou Sect’s Main Branch.
The new Young Patriarch leaned by the window, looking at the barren desert view outside. The winter snow had completely melted, leaving only desolation outside. He picked up a candy from a small table and popped it into his mouth. His hands, thick with calluses, revealed him as a martial artist.
“I’m sick of this.” He frowned at the servant.
The servant, fearing any mistakes, quickly removed the candy and replaced it with clear tea.
This Young Patriarch looked young and refined. Although his features weren’t strikingly handsome, they were comparable to Su Si. Unlike Su Si, who was always amidst worldly affairs, this man seemed somewhat detached, reminiscent of Su Zhi from the past.
He wore a long sword with a bone handle which bore the emblem of the Chigou Sect. He always kept a hand on his sword, as if fearing it would run away.
“Young Patriarch,” the servant, who had always been by his side, said with a hint of bitterness.
“Mm, what happened to Hua Jingchun?”
“She was thrown off Three Province Cliff according to the rules. No sign of her now; she’s probably dead,” the servant said cautiously. “Young Patriarch, since you haven’t officially taken over yet, the external plundering…”
The young Patriarch swiftly drew his sword, its sharp tip pointing at the servant’s throat.
The servant persisted. “The external plundering is too excessive, not our Chigou’s doing. If Matron Wuxue were still here, she would be furious.”
The Young Patriarch said with a smirk, “I’ve said it countless times. Matron Wuxue has grown old and conservative; only her insights were valuable. As they say, ‘a whole nest of bears*’. We are the top demonic sect, yet we’re afraid of a few villages?”
*(将熊熊一窝) It’s a term used to describe someone’s incompetence and can’t be a leader. Bear means cowardice or lack of ability.
“Our Divine Chigou doesn’t consume living people; we only rob the dead. This is a strict rule set by Patriarch Su. Wu Huai, you…”
Wu Huai slowly advanced his sword. “Who allowed you to call me by name? Su Zhi is merely bones now, and you still cling to his old rules—I too have the blood of the Su Clan. Isn’t live blood more interesting than the dead? Say one more word, and you’ll lose your tongue.”
The subordinate was stabbed in the shoulder, and his voice was tinged with the metallic taste of blood. “Our Divine Chigou Sect…”
He didn’t finish, as the tip of the sword pried open his teeth. Half of his tongue fell to the ground. The subordinate, in a mixture of shock and anger, spat out a pool of saliva-mixed blood. Wu Huai’s swordsmanship wasn’t as eerie as that of the “Bone Sweeping Sword technique”, but it was equally sinister and unpredictable.
“Clean the floor,” Wu Huai ordered, sheathing his sword and gesturing to the attendants.
The injured man fell to the ground, choking and coughing on his own blood. Wu Huai stepped forward, placing a foot on his head. “Disrespecting the Bone Sweeping Sword is one thing, but I am the great-grandson of Su Zhi, and you should at least respect this lineage.”
Another attendant, trembling, moved closer to clean the blood. The injured subordinate sorrowfully looked towards the window. The window was embedded with high-quality glass, so clear that it seemed as if there was nothing there. A few months ago, a thin elderly woman often sat there, sipping tea and enjoying the view. Now, not even her shadow remained.
Even if Matron Wuxue was still alive, she wouldn’t treasure a descendant of the Su Clan like a precious gem. Such practices were typical for the Ling Sect but not for Chigou. However, the injured man, now only able to utter indistinct noises and unable to move or shout, could only slump defeatedly on the floor.
He wondered about the fate of Hua Jingchun.
Days earlier, Hua Jingchun had offended Wu Huai for reasons unknown and was ordered to be thrown off the “Three Provinces Cliff”. As a Protector in the sect, Protector Hua was well-liked and trusted by Matron Wuxue. The injured subordinate had, out of caution, given Protector Hua a small rope hook before her fall. With Hua Jingchun’s skills, she surely wouldn’t have died at the bottom of the cliff.
Since Wu Huai’s return to the sect, although not overtly arrogant, his actions were cruel and ruthless, incongruent with his refined appearance. Unfortunately, with the symbols of his authority and his guarantees intact, the established rules that had governed Chigou now seemed like obstacles. The subordinate, from his years of experience serving Matron Wuxue, believed that Wu Huai wasn’t fit to lead Chigou. After the upcoming ascension ceremony, it would be too late to act.
Before then, Wu Huai must be eliminated.
The subordinate’s vision started to blur, and his thoughts became fuzzy. Just as he tried to get up, an icy sensation pierced his temple—Wu Huai, with his foot still on his head, drove a sword through his skull.
“To be so distracted even in such a situation. It seems Chigou really hires just about anyone,” Wu Huai remarked casually as he pulled out the sword. “He was just a personal servant; I’ll personally select a replacement tomorrow.”
He wiped the blood off his sword.
“Sect Master Qu will be arriving soon. Having an old and dull servant by my side is a mood killer just thinking about it.”
The author has something to say:
Demonic Lord Yin: I’m used to it. People always seem eager to claim they’re my grandchildren.
Shi Zhongyu came from a prominent family and always dressed in elegant and refined attire, exuding an air of righteousness. Seeing Shi Zhongyu in her current state, as if she’d just been fished out of the mud, even Su Si was taken aback for a moment.
Luckily, Su Si was used to playing roles. He quickly softened his aggressive stance, and the killing intent faded from his eyes, transforming from menacing to feigned strength. Within moments, under Shi Zhongyu’s pressure, he melodramatically surrendered. Shi Jingzhi discreetly donned a Nuo mask, grabbed the medicine box and flag, and strutted out of the medicine pile.
Yin Ci, seeing the dramatic turn, had no choice but to follow suit and wear a Nuo mask as well.
The Sun Clan was a major medicine dealer, so any associated doctors would surely be skilled. As expected, the bandits didn’t harm the two of them. They just seized their horses and took the people, returning fully laden. These bandits didn’t return to any stronghold but went straight to a village near Shafu. Everywhere within the village, torches were lit, with big pots placed on stone stoves. Liquor jars were scattered haphazardly, with leftover lamb bones strewn all around—it looked just like a bandit hideout.
The leader ordered their horses to be taken away, and the five members of the Kushan sect were pushed to kneel in front of the stove.
“Come on, one by one, state your names. The doctor can stay; if the rest of you aren’t worth anything, I’ll kill you all for entertainment today.”
Shi Zhongyu stepped forward, shielding the five. “Kill for fun? Ma Shili, you and I agreed before—rob the wealthy, but harm no one. Why did you lay a hand on those coachmen?”
Ma Shili grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, and said slyly, “Young lady, I haven’t killed anyone today. The Sun Clan isn’t like any other. If we don’t kill them, and Elder Sun traces this back to us, we won’t be able to handle the consequences.”
Shi Zhongyu’s expression darkened. With one hand behind her back, she subtly signaled Shi Jingzhi to stay calm.
Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci exchanged glances—it seemed that this woman from Taiheng had other plans here and was trying to buy them some time.
Shi Zhongyu continued, “I’ve only been here for two days, and you’ve already broken our agreement. With Taiheng coming, you all…”
Ma Shili’s smile faded quickly. “Enough of your prattle. Young lady, I listened to you the other day because of your pretty face. You know very well the situation in this village. Acting all high and mighty here? When there are bad guys everywhere, why is Taiheng specifically targeting me?”
Shi Zhongyu took a deep breath, her face even more clouded.
However, she bought enough time for Sect Master Shi to concoct a story. The cunning Shi Jingzhi began a dramatic act, lamenting to Shen Zhu. “Miss, oh Miss! Why is your fate so bitter? If you had just reached Shafu and gotten married, the old master wouldn’t have pursued this matter…”
Shen Zhu, seeing the emotional performance, casually wiped away “tears” with a handkerchief, hiding her rolling eyes.
Shi Jingzhi, with feigned sadness, turned to the bandit leader Ma Shili. “Sir, our young mistress is the great-granddaughter of Elder Sun. She’s had a hard life, having taken medicines from a young age. Now, she’s eloped, even needing me, her physician, to accompany her.”
Ma Shili, feeling smug and astute, remarked, “Tsk, I knew it was about an elopement. The girl is pretty, but untouchable. Good, someone take care of them. We’ll find a way to blackmail that old man later!”
With so many descendants of Sun Huaijin, even Yin Ci would have to check in detail. This bandit certainly couldn’t determine the truth.
“Which of them is this bitch’s lover? Kill him first!”
“Stop!” Shi Jingzhi stepped in front of Su Si. “The young mistress is deeply in love with this young master. If you kill him, she won’t be able to bear the grief.”
Su Si was so taken aback by this sudden twist that he stood dumbfounded for a moment before remembering to play along. “Yes, that’s right. My family is respectable and local to Shafu. If you kill me, the authorities will surely investigate to the end.”
He had lived in the Chigou Sect for a long time, so naturally, he picked up the Shafu accent.
Ma Shili hummed twice and looked at Yan Qing with narrowed eyes—Yan Qing had a blindfold and carried a sword on his back, dressed simply like a martial artist. If he wasn’t the lover, then he was useless. The bandit rubbed his stubble, revealing a hint of murderous intent.
Su Si pulled Yan Qing over. “This is my brother, with whom I grew up with. On this journey, as I fled with… Miss Sun, it was thanks to him that we were safely escorted. If my brother dies because of me, I’d be too ashamed to live!”
As he said this, he forced out a few tears, looking even more pitiful than Shen Zhu.
Yan Qing: “…”
This was Ma Shili’s first encounter with such a thrilling scene. He counted on his fingers: If he killed the doctor, the young mistress would die. If he killed the lover and his brother, after the lover died, the young mistress would still die. They say beauties have short lives*, but the beauty’s luck before him seemed paper thin and was simply a walking dead.
*(红颜薄命) Idiom referring to how beautiful women (in the olden days) often suffers badly despite their beauty and talents (AKA beauty and tragedy often go hand in hand).
Feeling frustrated that he couldn’t kill anyone, Ma Shili turned to Shi Jingzhi. “Remove your mask; it’s ominous.”
“My face has been burnt. It’s hideous. If you see it, you might find it even more unlucky.” Shi Jingzhi replied, pushing Yin Ci slightly behind him. “My disciple suffered the same fate. We were burned together.”
Ma Shili: “…”
Ma Shili: “Fine, fine. We have too many doctors already. All of you, get out. Miss, take these people with all their baggage and leave. It’s annoying.”
Sect Master Shi babbled on, barely placating the bandits. Unfortunately, Shi Zhongyu, being new here, was obviously not trusted by the bandits. She and the members of the Kushan Sect were taken into the largest courtyard in the village.
Despite being the largest courtyard, the walls were made of straw and mud. The yard was crowded with dirty-looking people. The smell of urine and sweat was overpowering, causing some to gag. Inside the house, there was a brick bed filled with straw and old cloth, which served as the communal sleeping area.
Under his Nuo mask, Sect Master Shi’s face turned green.
“Miss Shi,” he said urgently after the bandits left. “Why did you leave us behind?”
Although Shi Zhongyu couldn’t see Shi Jingzhi’s expression, his intention to flee was clear. She wiped the dust off her face and sighed deeply. “You have many treasure maps and the ‘key’. You should be looking for the Shirou. Why come here?”
Shi Jingzhi pondered for a moment, then replied, “We do have the ‘key’ set up by Yan Budu. Once Sect Master Qu finds the Shirou, it’s not too late for us to negotiate.”
Shi Zhongyu looked at him with a complex expression. “It’s said that the Kushan Sect is ungrateful and greedy. But I think Sect Master Shi is straightforward. Have you heard that Chigou is going to have a new Patriarch?”
Su Si remained silent, barely moving.
Shi Jingzhi: “I’ve heard a bit.”
“The young Patriarch who was killed was an imposter. Someone emerged with the Bone Sweeping Sword of ancient origins, and with the endorsement of a great elder under Matron Wuxue, they’ve now been recognized by Chigou. Chigou, known as the top demonic sect, must undergo a universally acknowledged succession process in the martial world—Taiheng and the Yueshui Pavilion are coming. I assume you know.”
Shi Zhongyu touched her cheap sword, looking down.
“The new leader has taken power, and Chigou has completely changed its face. In the past, whenever someone unearthed an ancient relic, Chigou would buy it at a higher price than other shops. Now, they not only refuse to pay, but they also search every household, killing those who refuse and taking their treasures.”
Shafu, close to the ancient northwest battlefield, often had locals trying their luck in the desert. In a village like this, not having an ancient artifact was shameful. Chigou used to only rob major tombs and only targeted the rich, but now, they act just like the original Ling Sect.
Yan Qing couldn’t help but ask, “They just kill people? The government doesn’t care?”
“Shafu is far from the Emperor’s reach. The government, having benefited from Chigou, doesn’t care.”
Shi Jingzhi realized, “So, this village…”
“Yes, it’s a big village known for tomb raiding, producing many skilled people for Chigou. Now that they’re targeted, they can only shelter the bandits, choosing the lesser of two evils.”
No wonder Shi Zhongyu didn’t act against the bandits. For the village, the disorganized bandits were manageable, but not the behemoth Chigou Sect. It wasn’t surprising Chigou initially skipped such problematic villages.
But how long this could last was uncertain.
“I’ll tell you everything I know about the situation here,” Shi Zhongyu said. “With Chigou in front, and Taiheng and the Yueshui Pavilion behind, it’s best to hide here until the situation is clear.”
“That strict?”
“I have informants in Taiheng. The one coming is Qu Duanyun himself, accompanied by Prince Xu Jingming.”
Shi Jingzhi clicked his tongue. “Taiheng’s horses are fast. I thought they were already here.”
Shi Zhongyu shook her head. “They went to the northwest forbidden area first. They won’t reach Shafu for another two or three days.”
“…I understand. Thank you, Miss Shi.”
……
That night, Sect Master Shi couldn’t stand the general sleeping area. He ran out of the room and sat against the wall in the courtyard, burying his head in Yin Ci’s hair trying to use the scent of his lover to dispel the surrounding stench. Fortunately, it was a warm spring night. The two huddled together, not feeling cold at all.
“She said we were frank, but she never mentioned what she’s doing here,” Shi Jingzhi muttered.
“Maybe she’s observing Taiheng’s reactions. With chaos ensuing, the old Taiheng would probably take action. But now, it’s hard to say. Shen Zhu is staying with her. Perhaps she could get some information out of her.”
Yin Ci stroked Shi Jingzhi’s long hair and yawned.
“A doctor, right?” A voice urgently interrupted. “Someone’s in a bad state here. Come quickly!”
The injured person was a woman around forty. She had lost one leg, and the stump below the knee was rotting and swollen, oozing with a foul-smelling pus. The woman was barely breathing and burning with fever, clearly on the brink of death.
Shi Jingzhi, unlike Yan Qing, wasn’t excessively kind-hearted, but he wasn’t cruel enough to stand by and watch either. He immediately rolled up his sleeves to check her pulse.
The woman had a robust physique and solid martial arts skills. Even with one leg missing, she hadn’t reached the point of being completely helpless. The medicine Sect Master Shi had obtained from the Sun Clan was quite effective. Before long, the woman regained consciousness and frowned, “What…”
“Sister Hua, you’re awake,” the person beside her exclaimed. “Ma Shili kidnapped a doctor, and I fetched him to see you.”
“They robbed several medicine carts today, Sister. There’s hope for you.”
This woman, beyond her prime, had black hair streaked with white. Her face showed a few wrinkles. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, with a hint of sharpness in her eyes, but fortunately, she didn’t seem malicious.
Sister Hua scanned the room, her gaze resting on the master and disciple. Struggling, she propped herself up and bowed shakily to Shi Jingzhi. “I am Chigou’s Hua Jingchun. Thank you for saving my life… Ah, I used to be from Chigou. My apologies for any misunderstanding.”
While she verbally expressed gratitude, there was an undeniable arrogance in her tone that left others at a loss for words.
Before Shi Jingzhi could respond, she seemed to realize something and laughed self-deprecatingly. “It doesn’t matter. The Divine Chigou Sect, the Divine Chigou Sect… has died long ago with Matron Wuxue.”
“Ah, brother, do you think this is a living person?”
“Yes, he’s alive, not like those ghosts.”
Zhou Qian stood in the alley, hearing the voices of two children from behind a wooden door. After they finished their conversation, seemingly confirming Zhou Qian was alive, they opened the door.
One child was chubby and short, while the other was thin and tall. At a glance, they looked nothing alike, but upon closer inspection, their facial features shared some similarities, suggesting they were brothers.
Upon opening the wooden door, the two quickly invited Zhou Qian in. The shorter and chubbier one peeked out, looked cautiously left and right in the alley, and then quietly closed the door.
After chatting briefly with the two, Zhou Qian learned that they were indeed brothers. The shorter one was called Xiao Pang1, the younger brother, while the taller one was called Da Shou2, the older brother. The two currently resided in the suburbs and rarely ventured into the city.
1Little fat/chubby. Named after how they look. 2Big thing. Named after how they look.
The strong smell of blood came from a dog. Behind the wooden door was a courtyard where a dog, already dead, was tied to a fence. Its throat had been slit, and beside it was a bowl meant to collect its blood. There were also splatters of blood on the ground from the bowl’s overflow.
Zhou Qian asked, “So… what’s going on in this city? Why has it become deserted?”
Da Shou replied, “We don’t know! One day we woke up and everyone was gone. We wandered around and realized there were ghosts everywhere in the city. Feeling something was amiss, we fled to the suburbs. We always played hide-and-seek in a particular spot in the woods, so we hid there.”
Thinking deeply, Zhou Qian asked, “Why did you return?”
Tearfully, Xiao Pang said, “Our mother is also missing. We want to find her!”
Da Shou patted Xiao Pang’s shoulder to comfort him, then added, “Now that the city is empty, we come here to find food. No one’s around to charge us anyway. We can’t hunt, so…”
Sighing, Da Shou continued, “We hope you don’t think we are stealing. Our mother taught us never to steal from others. However—”
“It’s okay.” Zhou Qian smiled. “Given the circumstances, you’re doing what you must to survive. But this dog…”
Da Shou explained, “Our mother had a pastry shop in the next alley. Across from her shop was a funeral parlor. The owner knew some rituals and taught us a bit. So, when we return to the city and encounter ghosts, we use those rituals to seal them.”
Zhou Qian nodded. “So, you’re using the dog’s blood to fend off the ghosts? How?”
Da Shou replied, “We caught this dog in the suburbs. We heard noises here, and sure enough, the place was haunted! We killed the dog. Soon, we will sprinkle its blood throughout this alley, encircle the house where the wedding is taking place, place talismans on the front door, and then the ghosts will be sealed.”
Xiao Pang added, “Yes, we will do our best to trap all the ghosts. We think our mother is hiding because she’s scared. Once all the ghosts in the city are sealed, she won’t have to hide, and we can find her.”
Most of the city’s inhabitants had become ghosts. Among the few survivors were these two brothers. They risked their lives to find their mother, using their abilities to fend off ghosts, hoping she wouldn’t have to hide anymore.
But could it be that so many ghosts exist because so many people died in the city?
It didn’t seem to occur to them… that their mother had also died and become a ghost?
Zhou Qian pondered, grasping a hint from the children’s words. Setting aside the matter of the ghosts, he asked, “You mentioned your mother runs a pastry shop? What’s it called?”
Without hesitation, Xiao Pang replied, “It’s called ‘Wang’s Osmanthus Cake’.”
Wang’s Osmanthus Cake? Wasn’t that Jiang Yuqing’s favorite osmanthus cake?
Seeing that Zhou Qian had no further questions, one child prepared the dog’s blood, while the other took out blank talisman papers, seemingly ready to draw symbols. Seeing this, Zhou Qian decided to leave.
Seeing Zhou Qian about to leave, two children stopped him.
Da Shou, the taller one, said, “Ah? Sir, are you going to attend the wedding banquet? It’s haunted there!”
“Aren’t you guys here drawing talismanic symbols to ward off the ghosts? Seeing your confidence, I feel assured. I’m just going for the spectacle,” Zhou Qian responded, and as he headed out the door, he glanced back. “By the way, I might be staying here for a while. If I encounter any ghosts… Can I ask for your help? Where can I find you?”
After thinking a bit, Da Shou replied, “Why not… let’s meet here. We come here every now and then anyway. You can leave a note for us on this table!”
“Thank you.” Zhou Qian waved at the two young boys and left.
Not far away, there was some noise coming from the large red doors at the end of the alley. Judging by the sounds, the wedding hadn’t started yet.
Thus, Zhou Qian decided not to rush back. Remembering what the children mentioned, he went to the pastry shop they talked about.
After walking down a corridor to the adjacent alley, Zhou Qian saw the aforementioned shroud shop and easily located the snack shop called “Wang’s Osmanthus Cake” opposite it.
The place looked deserted, but before he got close to the shop, Zhou Qian smelled the fragrance of osmanthus mixed with sweet dough. As he walked in and lifted the pot’s lid, he found it full of osmanthus cakes, seemingly freshly made and still fresh.
After gazing at the cakes for a moment, Zhou Qian took a bag and packed them all before heading back to the “Dong Shui” residence, which was about to host an odd wedding.
Upon returning to the end of the alley, the vibe was quite different. Moonlight shone bright, and red lanterns swayed in the wind. Lively chatter was heard from inside, indicating an impending celebration.
However, once inside, the atmosphere changed. Zhou Qian entered the main hall to find guests seated, chatting, and drinking, but their faces were unnaturally pale, and none had legs below. It was as if ghosts were having a party.
The wedding hadn’t officially begun. Soon, Zhou Qian found the old matchmaker with a distinctive mole and asked, “Where are our Falcon Squadron comrades? Where is Dong Shui?”
The old matchmaker replied kindly, “Oh, they’re in the west chambers. Let me take you there!”
Immediately, Zhou Qian followed her through the lobby, went through the back door into a courtyard, passed through the moon gate on the west side, and arrived at the west chambers.
The old lady opened the door and led Zhou Qian in. At this point, Zhou Qian saw that Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong had indeed changed out of their military uniforms and were wearing ordinary cloth clothes. He Xiaowei was also in the room, having been forcibly dressed in a groom’s attire.
Zhou Qian looked him up and down, smiled, and said, “Not bad. Just yesterday, you told me you were looking for a girlfriend, and today you’ve directly found a wife.”
“Come on, stop making fun of me!” He Xiaowei gave him a smile that was uglier than crying and then took a deep breath. “Qian’er*, seeing you puts me at ease. I almost thought you had run away. I mean, we’re with a bunch of—”
*Er (儿) When added to an address, it is a form of endearment or an affectionate way to address someone.
After glancing at the old lady, He Xiaowei swallowed the word “ghosts” and didn’t dare to say it out loud.
“You two chat; I’ll bring you some food and drinks. Dong Shui, don’t be nervous. I’ll remind you of the process later. The auspicious time is coming soon!”
The old lady left with a cheerful smile.
After she left, He Xiaowei closed the door and sat down, patting his chest. “Not nervous? I’m marrying a ghost? How could I not be? I told myself before coming that I would not encounter a supernatural instance. I never expected this!”
Zhou Qian said, “If it’s arranged, just go with it. If the plot wants you to marry, then marry!”
“I don’t want to! Why am I Dong Shui? Why? Why not you?” He Xiaowei lamented. “You’d have been a better Dong Shui. Why are you Bei He?”
“I wish,” Zhou Qian replied. “Marrying a bride sounds fun. In reality, who would marry a lunatic like me? Here, even an NPC is willing, even if she’s a ghost.”
He Xiaowei was speechless for a moment, then slammed the table. “You’re just talking because it’s not you! I’m not marrying, I swear!”
Just then, the door opened with a “swoosh”. The old lady had returned. She brought a lot of fruits and tea, and surprisingly, a photograph.
Handing it to He Xiaowei, she said, “Your comrades haven’t seen your bride yet, right? Show them her picture first! Miss Zhang is absolutely beautiful. Dong Shui, you are lucky!”
After the old lady left again.
He Xiaowei continued to wail, “I really won’t marry. It’s impossible for me to marry! Why even look at the photo. Ah, this… ah, ah this…”
Zhou Qian didn’t care at all that the food was brought by a ghost. He directly grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and began munching on them. As he munched, he realized that He Xiaowei’s tone had changed, so he looked over at him.
He Xiaowei was holding the photo in his hand, completely stunned.
Zhou Qian teased, “What? Saw an immortal?”
Staring at the photo, He Xiaowei mumbled, “Isn’t this an immortal?”
Curious, Zhou Qian took a look, and Yun Xiangrong and Situ Qing came over as well.
The girl in the photo was indeed beautiful. Dressed in a qipao, holding a paper umbrella on a stone path, with almond eyes and delicate eyebrows.
The photo was black and white, but her gentle gaze made everything seem colorful.
Seeing such a beautiful Miss Zhang, He Xiaowei couldn’t bring himself to say “I won’t marry her” anymore.
A moment later, the old lady came back with two servants. “Dong Shui, hurry up. It’s an auspicious time. Let’s start the ceremony! The wine for toasting the relatives is ready, it’s diluted, so you won’t get drunk.”
He Xiaowei looked hesitantly at Zhou Qian. “Well, Qian’er…”
Seeing his state, it seemed like he had genuinely fallen for the girl at first sight.
Zhou Qian said, “Go ahead. If you want to marry, then marry. Don’t be afraid.”
He Xiaowei: “Really?”
Zhou Qian nodded. “First, we haven’t received our actual quest yet. At this stage, no one should die unexpectedly. Second, I guess… this wedding won’t be completed.”
He Xiaowei, unsure whether to feel happy or disappointed, asked, “Why? Why?”
Zhou Qian simply said, “Because someone outside will exorcize the ghosts.”
As the auspicious moment approached, the groom He Xiaowei was taken away. Several players, identifying as the Falcon Squadron, were invited to the main hall.
The old matchmaker specially arranged a table for the three of them. Contrasted with the cheeriness at other tables, the three people at this table— Zhou Qian, Situ Qing, and Yun Xiangrong—all remained silent, with no one speaking.
Yun Xiangrong had decided to play her part to the end, even if it meant depleting her skill points. Even if she had any thoughts now, she had to pretend to be estranged from Zhou Qian and wouldn’t discuss matters with him openly.
As for Situ Qing, she sat quietly for the time being, seemingly not up to any tricks. However, Zhou Qian couldn’t tell if her gambler would come up with another plot. Given this, Zhou Qian had no plans to share any clues he had found.
After a while, Zhou Qian picked up a glass of wine and mingled among the guests, chatting here and there. For a moment, he seemed to get along harmoniously with the ghosts. Amidst the clinking glasses, he suddenly spotted someone.
Yes, it was a person. The difference between him and the other ghosts was clear—he had feet.
The man was tall and slender, wearing a trench coat and a tall black hat. He didn’t enter the main hall but stood near the courtyard. Even if his face wasn’t clear, through his stature and aura, Zhou Qian recognized him instantly.
He was the handsome officer from the photo illusion, the one who killed 12 gunmen in the end credits of “Checks and Balance”—the younger Jiang Yuqing.
Zhou Qian immediately stepped out but didn’t approach right away. Leaning against the door, holding his wine, he lifted his chin towards Jiang Yuqing.
Behind Zhou Qian, there was a lively celebration, but in front of him, there was a serene autumn courtyard. Jiang Yuqing stood quietly next to a withered tree, making the whole world seem peaceful.
After a while, a young servant approached, took a red-wrapped gift from Jiang Yuqing, and asked, “Mr. Jiang, won’t you come in for a while?”
“I have matters to attend to. I must go,” Jiang Yuqing replied and quickly left.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian immediately followed.
“Wait,” he called out.
Hearing Zhou Qian’s voice, Jiang Yuqing indeed stopped and turned his head.
Zhou Qian met his gaze, approached, and offered his drink. “Since you’re here, won’t you have a drink?”
Jiang Yuqing looked up, accepted the drink, and said, “Alright, I’ll drink. Thank you, Bei He.”
The wide brim of Jiang Yuqing’s hat cast a large shadow on his face. Only two red lanterns illuminated the dark night, making it hard for Zhou Qian to see his face clearly.
As Jiang Yuqing drank, Zhou Qian tried to lift the hat to see his face. However, he was a tad too slow as Jiang Yuqing swiftly turned away.
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, seemingly annoyed. He leaned closer, so close that his forehead touched the brim of the hat, and asked, “Hey, Mr. Jiang, won’t you let me see your face?”
Jiang Yuqing replied, “Bei He, I have things to do. I must go.”
As he turned, Zhou Qian grabbed his wrist. “Wait. I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t tell me you can’t see that those people are ghosts.”
To Zhou Qian, the ghosts behind him in the wedding hall seemed unaware of their deaths and were still immersed in their past lives. The two children, Xiao Pang and Da Shou, recognized them as ghosts and even thought of using dog blood and talismans against them.
In this game setting, humans and ghosts were distinctly different. Ghosts’ faces and feet weren’t like humans’, not to mention the joss paper all over the doorway.
So why couldn’t Jiang Yuqing see that they were ghosts?
It was now September of XX37. Was this Jiang Yuqing really from this timeline?
Zhou Qian looked closely, trying to discern Jiang Yuqing’s face, expression, and even his eyes in the dim light.
Soon after, he heard Jiang Yuqing say, “I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about. Bei He, are you… afraid of ghosts?”
Zhou Qian retorted immediately, “Afraid my ass!”
He wasn’t He Xiaowei after all.
Then he heard Jiang Yuqing laugh.
The laughter was extremely refined and gentle. In Zhou Qian’s mind, an image of a handsome officer writing love poems by candlelight immediately formed.
It seemed like he wouldn’t get answers about the mysterious matters, so Zhou Qian switched topics. “Jiang Yuqing, do you have… someone you like?”
He then said, “I have dedicated my life to the nation. How could I also have a personal commitment? Matters of romantic love—I’ve long set them aside.”
Zhou Qian bluntly responded, “I don’t believe that. I clearly saw you secretly writing love poems!”
Jiang Yuqing seemed a bit agitated, and his tone became stern immediately. “That’s absolutely untrue. Don’t spout nonsense!”
“Just kidding. Why so serious?” Zhou Qian looked at Jiang Yuqing. Whether it was the glow from the red lanterns or something else, he noticed that Jiang Yuqing’s ears seemed to be turning red. Teasingly, he flicked the brim of Jiang’s hat and then tried to grab his ear.
It seemed he had truly annoyed the usually composed and refined Mr. Jiang, so Zhou Qian quickly took out a piece of Wang’s osmanthus cake from his bag. “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Do you want to eat this?”
Seeing Jiang Yuqing in a daze, Zhou Qian asked him, “Why aren’t you taking it? Isn’t this your favorite snack?”
Jiang Yuqing accepted the cake slowly, as if lost in thought.
Then he said something that surprised Zhou Qian, “I’ve always said I don’t like sweets. You keep teasing me, then you give me these things that kids like… I’m not a child.”
Don’t like sweets?
Even when Jiang Yuqing was suffering from dementia, he couldn’t forget the osmanthus cake.
How could he not like it?
What Jiang Yuqing did next surprised Zhou Qian even more.
He kept insisting he didn’t like it but still put the osmanthus cake in his mouth. Unlike the scene Zhou Qian witnessed in room 701, where the elderly Jiang Yuqing was messy while eating the cake, this time he ate with utmost elegance, covering his mouth with one hand and taking small bites with the other. In the end, he even took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe his fingers clean.
“I really have to go now. I have other things to attend to. Bei He, see you later.”
Waving at Zhou Qian, Jiang Yuqing pocketed the handkerchief and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, Zhou Qian received a notification.
[Player Zhou Qian gave osmanthus cake to Jiang Yuqing, triggering a side quest: “Night Rain Addressed to the North”. Current completion: 30%]
Turning around and heading back through the vermilion gates, Zhou Qian frowned, seemingly puzzled about something. Just then, he saw Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong.
It looked like they had followed him and witnessed his conversation with Jiang Yuqing.
The smile was gone from Yun Xiangrong’s face, but she surprisingly initiated. “Zhou Qian, did you not understand the storyline just now? No matter how intelligent you are, there are things you might not grasp.”
“The things I don’t understand… you do?” Zhou Qian asked.
“Yes.” Yun Xiangrong looked up at the dark night sky. “Gao Shan doesn’t eat spicy food. But when we first started dating, I didn’t know. I took him to eat hotpot based on my own preferences. He seemed to enjoy it a lot. I thought he really liked it. But in reality, he didn’t like hotpot or spicy food. He acted like he did only because he liked me. So—”
“Jiang Yuqing doesn’t like osmanthus cake. He likes Bei He.”
“The poem ‘Night Rain Addressed to the North’ is likely written for Bei He.”
“Ah, so not only does He Xiaowei have a romance line, but I do too,” Zhou Qian said with a smirk. “I wonder if there’ll be any melodramatic twists.”
Unexpectedly, just after mentioning ‘melodramatic’, Zhou Qian detected the smell of dog blood.
Turning around, he saw Da Shou running over and hiding behind a stone lion, holding a talisman in one hand and putting a finger to his lips in a “shh” gesture. On the other side, Xiao Pang did the same, ready to cooperate with Da Shou to deal with the ghosts.
Zhou Qian’s smile faded slightly, but he didn’t say much. Following the old woman’s shouts, he returned to the hall with Yun Xiangrong and Situ Qing.
A moment later, Zhou Qian stood amidst a group of ghosts, looking at the newlywed couple above the hall. The bride, Miss Zhang, had a veil covering her face, obscuring her features. Additionally, eerily, she had no feet. But from her silhouette, she was clearly beautiful.
Beside her, Zhou Qian noticed He Xiaowei’s hand trembling when he grabbed the red ribbon, unsure if it was out of excitement or fear.
“Bow to heaven and earth!”
Following this command, under semi-coercion by the old woman, He Xiaowei and the bride performed the ritual bowing to heaven and earth together.
“Pay respects to the high hall!”
He Wei and the bride turned together. Before him were Dong Shui’s parents.
Two elderly people, both without feet, sat serenely. Their smiles should have been kind, but their faces were too pale. Combined with wrinkles all over, they looked genuinely eerie.
“Exchange bows between husband and wife!”
After this bow, the ceremony would be officially complete.
Perhaps thinking of this, when they got to this step, He Wei’s hand trembled extraordinarily.
Before his eyes, Miss Zhang gracefully bowed, her body bending forward.
He Wei remained motionless, being urged by the old matchmaker. “Dong Shui! Dong Shui!! What’s the matter? Hurry up, bow with your wife!”
Cold sweat soaked He Wei’s back.
The allure from the photo of the beautiful woman seemed to have faded.
Facing the reality that he was about to exchange bows with a footless female ghost, his legs felt so weak that he almost knelt.
But at that moment, he heard an incredibly pleasant voice.
“Dong Ge? What’s wrong with you? Don’t you want to marry me anymore? Don’t you love me anymore?”
The voice made He Xiaowei feel tingly all over.
He suddenly felt a determination that if there was such a sweet-voiced girl, even if she was a ghost, he would marry her.
But just as he bent his waist, about to lower his head, several talismans drifted into the courtyard, blown by the wind.
Suddenly, before his eyes, the bride, the matchmaker, the parents, all the guests… all vanished.
The sweet metallic taste of blood spread across the tip of his tongue, permeating the entire mouth. Ying Feng increased the pressure of his bite. Ling Xiao’s body tensed for a moment, then went limp, as if he had lost all strength.
Sensing that his prey was no longer resisting, Ying Feng gradually lessened his force. His sharp teeth left two deep bite marks on Ling Xiao’s chest. Ying Feng lowered his head, licking the marks he left on Ling Xiao, his soft tongue circling around, then slowly moving towards the collarbone and neck. The scent of Ling Xiao’s blood, mixed with dust, made Ying Feng frown.
Ling Xiao was on the brink of death. There are many ways to die, but Ling Xiao seemed like a lost wanderer in the desert, barely alive under the scorching sun. Ying Feng’s kiss felt like someone pouring refreshing spring water into his mouth, reigniting the life within him.
The burning sensation from the Ember in his blood was suppressed by the purifying effect of Ying Feng’s saliva. Ling Xiao’s unusually high body temperature began to drop. His eyes twitched, but he couldn’t open them. The coolness from the kiss provided comfort to the scorching hot Ling Xiao, and out of an instinct to survive, he weakly responded to Ying Feng’s actions.
Ling Xiao’s obvious plea made Ying Feng pause for half a second, followed by a more aggressive round of actions. He fervently kissed Ling Xiao, his dominant tongue stirring in Ling Xiao’s mouth, occasionally their teeth clashing due to inexperience. Unswallowed saliva trickled down the corner of their mouths, forming a tempting trail that disappeared behind the ear.
As Ling Xiao’s temperature stabilized, the heat in Ying Feng’s body continued to surge. The predatory kisses could no longer satisfy his desires. But no one had ever taught Ying Feng how to handle this situation, and he knew even less about intimacy than the unconscious Ling Xiao beneath him.
Unable to find a way to release his desires, Ying Feng desperately bit Ling Xiao, attempting to satiate his lust this way. But besides leaving more suspicious marks on Ling Xiao, his cravings weren’t relieved but rather intensified.
Pain woke Ling Xiao, who moaned briefly, further exciting Ying Feng. He bit down on a sensitive part of Ling Xiao’s chest, causing Ling Xiao to tense and unconsciously lift his lower body, rubbing against Ying Feng’s private parts.
This contact brought electric pleasure to Ying Feng and gave him an idea. He began to mimic the movement, rubbing back against Ling Xiao. This limited pleasure temporarily satisfied him while he kept leaving more marks on Ling Xiao’s body.
However, such mild actions could hardly curb the overwhelming lust induced by the Ember extract. Ying Feng’s eyes glowed dangerously, and his heavy breathing was unsettling. If he couldn’t find a better way to release his tension soon, he might uncontrollably consume the unconscious Ling Xiao.
His gaze swept over Ling Xiao with ill intentions. Instinctively, he knew only this person could rescue him from his unbearable state.
The tight uniform became a hindrance. Ying Feng tried to unbutton it but failed several times due to his agitation. Finally, he hastily removed his coat and shirt, revealing his toned muscles, which were obviously not fully developed.
In an instant, the coolness brought him relief. Encouraged, Ying Feng quickly stripped off his trousers. The bulge in his underwear was evident, with traces of an unidentified liquid. Overwhelmed by his primal urges, without any shame, he removed his last piece of clothing, revealing his aroused state to the open air. The scorching object bounced a few times.
Ying Feng realized that all pleasure stemmed from that particular spot. Whenever it was stimulated, his entire body would tremble uncontrollably. He straddled Ling Xiao, gripping and randomly rubbing the rod-like object with one hand while the other uncontrollably roamed over Ling Xiao’s smooth skin, moving from the chest down to the waist, not missing any part. Under Ying Feng’s touch, Ling Xiao bit his lower lip, his head gently swaying from side to side.
Ying Feng’s inexperienced techniques occasionally hurt him. He let go of the rod and, imitating the movement from before, used his lower body in place of his hand to rub against Ling Xiao’s bare upper body. A clear liquid dripped down, smearing Ling Xiao’s abdomen. But with the viscous liquid’s lubrication, this motion was evidently more pleasurable. Ying Feng gasped for breath, moving against Ling Xiao in a way hard to describe with words. His hips moved uncontrollably downward, eventually discovering new territory between Ling Xiao’s legs.
He tightened his legs around Ling Xiao’s and inserted his hard penis between them, rhythmically thrusting. It was a biological instinct; something that could be understood without teaching. Unfortunately, the roughness of the fabric mixed pleasure with pain. Ying Feng couldn’t resist the pleasure nor tolerate the pain. After instinctively thrusting a few dozen times, he finally tore off Ling Xiao’s trousers in frustration. Ling Xiao’s top had already been torn to shreds by Ying Feng earlier, so now the two of them were completely naked, their privates pressed closely together. Ling Xiao’s lower body also responded, but due to his semi-conscious state, he wasn’t as vigorous as Ying Feng.
Ying Feng lay on top of Ling Xiao, his waist never stopping its rhythmic motion. The area between Ling Xiao’s legs was again smeared with the sticky liquid, and his own essence similarly stained Ying Feng’s abdomen. But Ying Feng’s usual obsession with cleanliness was nowhere to be found. Normally, he wouldn’t even touch Ling Xiao if he was dirty and injured. Yet today, he embraced and kissed Ling Xiao fervently. When sand entered his mouth, he simply spat it out, continuing to kiss Ling Xiao until the taste of blood was diluted. This primal act of one-sided desire was interrupted by Ling Xiao’s slow awakening. The weight of Ying Feng on him, on his broken rib, brought a sharp pain to his chest.
“Ugh…” Ling Xiao let out a pained moan.
However, whether he was conscious or not made no difference to Ying Feng, who continued his advances. Ling Xiao’s privates, with the friction against Ying Feng’s lower abdomen, also began to respond.
But the groggy Ling Xiao couldn’t connect Ying Feng’s advances with the scenes he’d secretly watched in the movie. He only felt that Ying Feng was causing pain in his chest and didn’t even realize his clothes were gone.
Using all his strength, Ling Xiao tried to lift a leg, hoping to kick Ying Feng away, but he was too weak. Ying Feng caught his knee, making it seem as if he was intentionally guiding the way.
This single movement led to an unintentional intimate contact. Ling Xiao’s entrance reflexively tightened, seemingly inviting its intruder. Ying Feng, with heightened senses at the moment, quickly grasped the hint. He spread Ling Xiao’s other leg, and the entrance he had been seeking was now exposed to the weapon that had its veins bulging.
Even in his drowsy state, Ling Xiao realized the precarious situation he was in. Ying Feng’s actions resembled the adult scenes he had sneaked peeks at, and he felt the pressure from Ying Feng’s hardness.
“Don’t…” His voice trembled in refusal. But he didn’t realize that from the moment they formed their bond, his body had accepted Ying Feng as its sole master. Now, sensing its master’s approach, it automatically became wet and relaxed, preparing for Ying Feng’s entry.
Feeling the pull from Ling Xiao’s entrance, Ying Feng lost control and wanted to enter. This clear invitation no longer made him hesitate. With a little force, he entered halfway smoothly. He repeated the motion, and his scorching heat was completely submerged into Ling Xiao’s body. The unprecedented tightness made him exhale in pleasure. After wandering outside for so long, he finally found where he belonged.
Ling Xiao felt a momentary discomfort, followed by an overwhelming feeling of fullness. It felt as if his lost soul was refilled, making him whole again. Tears involuntarily flowed from his eyes.
Ying Feng leaned down, unusually gentle, licking away the tears from Ling Xiao’s eyes. Ling Xiao, still resisting, spoke in a tearful voice, “Get out…”
Ying Feng’s brief tenderness was thoughtlessly expelled by Ling Xiao. Having just become a Qizhu, Ying Feng was still in the early stages of establishing his authority and had not yet learned to relinquish control over the separated soul. In this state, he was obviously unwilling to accept a Qizi who defied his will. Moreover, desire controlled his body; resisting up to this point was already his limit.
Ying Feng sat up, effortlessly spreading Ling Xiao’s legs once more. Given Ling Xiao’s current exhaustion and severe injuries, even if he were in perfect condition, he could not resist the whims of his Qizhu. Especially this Qizhu, who had already crossed the boundaries of reason.
Discovering the right way to assert his claim, Ying Feng thrusted forward forcefully, immediately eliciting a suppressed moan from Ling Xiao, far more pleasing than his earlier refusals. Enjoying this melodious sound, Ying Feng continuously moved, with intermittent moans uncontrollably escaping from the corner of Ling Xiao’s mouth. Along with Ying Feng’s heavy breathing, the sounds of flesh slapping together mixed with sizzling water, and other audible indications of their actions, they echoed in what was probably the most inauspicious setting ever for a bridal chamber.
Ling Xiao’s lower half was violently penetrated, and his upper body was also forced to sway. Already in a daze, his mind became even more muddled. He closed his eyes, seeing countless afterimages swaying before him. The dream had finally turned into reality. But the roles had shifted; the one who had previously been receiving was now on top, and he was helplessly at the mercy of the other.
Ying Feng’s hands gripped Ling Xiao’s thighs tightly. Looking down, he could see part of his own body moving inside Ling Xiao. The tight passage was only relaxed upon his initial entry. Afterwards, it sucked him in tightly, clinging to him without letting go. Even after numerous thrusts, there were no signs of slackening. Instead, it became even more burning and moist, providing unparalleled pleasure with every thrust.
Unfortunately, the severely injured Ling Xiao couldn’t experience the same pleasure. Despite trying multiple times, every time he attempted to open his eyes, he was forced to shut them, seeing only the vague silhouette of Ying Feng’s moving figure and his flushed eyes.
With one fierce thrust from Ying Feng, the weakened Ling Xiao passed out again.
An attacker who had lost his sanity and an unconscious receiver; this absurd one-sided affair continued for an unknown length of time. As he moved, Ying Feng’s gaze fixed on Ling Xiao’s earlobe, and without thinking, he leaned down, biting the soft flesh with the tip of his tooth.
It seemed like a signal, and the floodgates finally opened. All of Ying Feng’s pent-up desire was released, culminating in his first climax in ten years. Experiencing this pleasure for the first time in his life, even the usually rational and calm Ying Feng succumbed to the sensation.
After his release, Ying Feng lay on top of Ling Xiao, motionless with his eyes closed, absentmindedly playing with Ling Xiao’s earlobe.
When he finally realized what he had done, he sat up anxiously, staring in disbelief at the undeniable marks he had left on Ling Xiao.
Like someone who had done something wrong, Ying Feng hurriedly withdrew from Ling Xiao. The visible proof of their act confronted him directly, denying any chance of denial.
The crystalline fluid on Ling Xiao’s abdomen was another damning evidence. Not wanting to face the truth, Ying Feng impulsively tried to wipe it away but ended up with his hand covered in the sticky substance. He grabbed a nearby school uniform, presumably belonging to one of them, and desperately wiped his hand clean.
When he realized that the truth of what had transpired couldn’t be changed, Ying Feng discarded the uniform and covered his eyes in despair, overwhelmed by Ling Xiao’s lingering scent.
He had formed a bond, hastily completing the most important ceremony of his life with someone he hadn’t even considered. This blood bond was irrevocable, and the genes of their kind didn’t allow betrayal. From this moment on, his soul was tied to the unconscious man on the ground, and only death could separate them.
The previously heated Ying Feng now felt like he had plunged into an icy pit. He hastily dressed, as if this could cover up his previous beastly behavior.
After dressing neatly, Ying Feng sat against a wall. On the surface, he appeared calm, but inside, he was in turmoil. After sitting like this for a while, he realized that the other person in the secret room was still lying naked on the ground.
The school uniform pants he had roughly torn off Ling Xiao had lost a button, and he didn’t know where it had rolled off to. It took Ying Feng much longer to put them back on Ling Xiao than it had taken to remove them, and throughout the process, he turned his face away, unwilling to look directly at the body he had brutally ravished.
Sitting back down, Ying Feng reflected on this absurd series of events: the unexpected appearance of the Kui, the unexpected appearance of Ember, a life that should have ended but didn’t. One event linked to the next, not allowing him a moment to think. Of course, he couldn’t have known that Ling Xiao had hidden his awakening, or that Zhu Yue had fanned the flames. He only blamed himself for insisting on participating in the field training despite knowing about the awakening; that decision was a mistake.
Ying Feng leaned weakly against the wall; his eyes tightly shut. Whenever he was disturbed, the walnut in his breast pocket would comfort him. However, when he reached for it again out of habit, his hand recoiled the moment it touched his coat.
He was no longer worthy of touching it.
He had lost forever the person he had been searching for years.
Ling Xiao, the new Qizi, showed no sign of waking, while Ying Feng, the new Qizhu, closed his eyes. The tight and pitch-black space returned to its silence.
In another part of the dark cave, a group of people stood still. The fledgling they had just rescued, even though scared to the point of instability, insisted on moving forward with them.
“We will search for the missing students, but you need to leave this place,” the principal said as he picked up Zhu Yue’s dagger to return it to him and arranged for the rescue team to escort him out.
“No,” Zhu Yue protested anxiously. “I want to go with you.”
“This place is too dangerous, with unknown hazards. We won’t allow a fledgling to stay here. The medic is outside the cave. He will safely escort you back to the academy.”
Despite Zhu Yue’s strong desire to stay, he was forcefully taken out. After he left, the principal turned to the instructor and asked, “How far are the other two from here?”
The instructor checked the tracking device. After all the students were evacuated, only three dots remained on the tablet. “Their last location is to the northwest, a distance away from here.”
Fu Yao took a glance and accurately pointed out the direction. “Aim this way and move on.”
The soldiers began their methodical work again, carefully clearing the obstructing rocks. The path ahead was blocked even more, and they often had to stop to clear the obstructions.
After repeating this process several times, someone from the front reported, “Major! There’s something!”
Everyone rushed forward. The first person who discovered the scene handed over the collected items to Fu Yao.
Everyone present recognized them. They were the wreckage of personal terminals, shattered beyond recognition, and a dagger broken in two.
The sinking feeling was inevitable. The people of Tianxiu leave no bodies behind. Every item they found could be a memento of the deceased. Judging from the damage to these items, the chances of their owners surviving were slim.
Fragments of the terminal were scattered everywhere, not just near the wall but also in the open. It was impossible to tell whether these fragments came from one or two devices.
“Is this where the signal was lost?” Fu Yao asked as he walked around the site.
The instructor double-checked before answering, “Yes.”
Fu Yao squatted down. “There are clear traces of a large creature passing through. The passage is too narrow for it. The stone walls show signs of damage due to heavy impact.”
He looked up. “The footprints stretched a long distance, indicating it was running fast. The direction of the dirt suggests it was running this way, likely chasing something.”
He stood up and pointed. “Where there’s a chase, there’s hope. Don’t give up, keep digging.”
Despite the availability of high-tech explosive weapons, they were of no use here. Fortunately, they had sharp tools. Stones in their path were broken into small pieces, and the shaking of the cave had stopped since then, indicating the danger might be over.
Yet, the more things seemed calm, the more worrying the reality underneath. The rescuers were torn between hoping to find clues and fearing they might find another broken dagger. With mixed emotions, they hurried forward.
Ying Feng sat quietly in the darkness until faint noises reached him from afar. His senses, including hearing, vision, and intuition, were all sharper than before. He would not have noticed such faint sounds a few hours earlier. Now, he could even distinguish different voices.
This was the difference between a fledgling and an adult—no, an adult who was a Qizhu.
If he could hear it, so could those on the other side of the rock wall. Picking up a small stone, Ying Feng aimed precisely in the direction of the sound and threw it. The stone ricocheted multiple times before losing momentum and falling to the ground.
Fu Yao suddenly stopped the sergeant’s action. “Stop!”
Everyone reflexively halted their movements, as if their leader was intently listening for something.
“Is anyone there?” Fu Yao called out louder.
The response was another faint knocking sound. Many present heard it this time. The principal’s brow furrowed deeply; aside from the panting of the people around, he heard nothing.
However, those who heard it showed expressions of pleasant surprise. Fu Yao’s tone shifted. “Push forward with all our might!”
The rescuers were invigorated, and their efficiency greatly increased. When the last obstacle was finally cleared, joyful shouts came from the front. “There are people! Two of them!”
Everyone, who had been bracing for the worst outcome, was lifted by the news. It was an outcome beyond their wildest dreams.
The principal quickly made his way to the front of the group. In the enclosed cavern, a person sat against the wall, head bowed. Their uniform was torn in several places, with patches of dried blood evident.
The condition of the other individual was even worse. Lying on the ground, eyes closed, they seemed barely alive. Their uniform was almost gone, and the pants seemed hastily put on. Their exposed skin bore suspicious marks. All present were adults and understood immediately what those marks meant.
Without a second thought, the principal quickly approached the seated person. As the man slowly lifted his head, their eyes met. The principal froze, staring intently at Ying Feng’s face, as if entranced.
This eerie moment seemed to last forever until Ying Feng finally broke the silence. “What’s the matter?”
Realizing his own distraction, the principal averted his eyes. “Nothing, how are you?”
Before their arrival, Ying Feng had rested for a long time. His robust body began healing minor injuries automatically, and his stamina had somewhat recovered during the prolonged wait.
“I’m fine.” He glanced at Ling Xiao lying on the ground. “You might want to check on him.”
Turning his head, the principal saw that Ling Xiao’s injuries were evidently more severe than Ying Feng’s. The accompanying medical personnel began providing immediate first aid. There was a swarm of people around him, leaving no room for others to step in.
Fu Yao was the last to enter the tight space, which became crowded with so many people.
As soon as he arrived, someone approached to report, “Major General, it’s a Kui.”
Fu Yao raised an eyebrow in surprise. Pushing through the crowd, he saw someone clearing the ground, revealing the almost mythical creature known as the Kui from ancient records.
The sight of the Kui’s brutal end was even shocking for seasoned warriors like them. Fu Yao’s gaze swept the surroundings, noting the missing limbs.
With the injured person unconscious, he naturally approached Ying Feng. Upon seeing him, Fu Yao’s expression displayed surprise, his gaze moving between the principal and Ying Feng, filled with speculation.
However, he quickly dismissed his suspicions.
“How did you manage this?” he asked with keen interest, looking at Ying Feng.
Ying Feng subtly directed his gaze elsewhere. Following his cue, Fu Yao spotted something unusual. He picked up a portable injector from the pile of sand and stones. The injector was nearly empty, with only a trace of an orange residue remaining.
“Interesting,” he mused, holding the device. “Take everything from here back with us. Leave nothing behind.”
The military rescue team expertly set up a stretcher, carefully placing Ling Xiao on it and covering him with a blanket.
“Can you stand?” the principal asked Ying Feng, hesitating to offer his hand.
Ying Feng gritted his teeth and stood up. As long as he was conscious, his pride wouldn’t allow anyone to assist him.
Noticing that Ying Feng didn’t need help, the principal hesitated briefly before removing his jacket and handing it to him.
The gesture caught Ying Feng off guard, but he accepted the principal’s offer. Despite this, he noticed something unusual about the principal.
“Principal, what happened to your hand?”
“Just a minor issue. It’s nothing.”
Downplaying the matter, the principal followed the military personnel, escorting the injured duo out of the cave. The corpse of the Kui was too massive, so some had to stay behind, looking for ways to transport it out.
The team doctor waiting anxiously outside was relieved to see the two students emerge—in his eyes, any physical injury was treatable, and being alive meant they were unharmed.
“What on earth happened inside?” He urgently asked as he approached. “Why did the cave collapse?”
“Three S-grade creatures appeared in the cave,” the principal briefly explained to him. “When they were discovered, a Kui’s body was also found.”
“A Kui?” The team doctor exclaimed in disbelief. “A corpse? Who did it?”
The principal turned his gaze to Ying Feng, who then looked at Ling Xiao on the stretcher. The answer was clear.
However, the team doctor didn’t follow the gaze, as one shock came after another. “Your eyes? You…?”
The principal patted him on the shoulder to calm him. “Don’t ask about other matters for now. The priority is to get them treated as soon as possible.”
“Ah? Oh…” It was only then that the team doctor remembered his primary duty. Just as he was about to instruct the others to lift Ling Xiao onto Bikong’s flying device, Fu Yao intervened.
“There’s an emergency medical station set up by the military nearby. We will take the students there for first aid.”
“That’s good…” The team doctor began to reply but was interrupted by the principal.
“The academy’s medical resources can handle this situation,” the principal stated decisively. “We can treat them back at the school.”
Fu Yao raised the syringe in his hand. “I’m afraid you won’t have a say this time,” he waved his hand, “Take them to the Burning Shadow.”
What the principal feared the most was this. The Burning Shadow was a battleship under Fu Yao’s command. Students from two junior colleges turned the tables on a Kui. The situation was suspicious, and the military would surely intervene. Although the academy’s medical expertise wasn’t as advanced as the military’s, the principal hoped to keep matters under the academy’s control. But now, it seemed that hope was shattered.
“I’ll go with you,” the principal compromised slightly.
Fu Yao didn’t object this time. “Suit yourself.”
As Fu Yao mentioned, the medical station was indeed close. Although it was just an emergency station, it had the most advanced medical equipment, capable of providing the best treatment for injured soldiers.
From the beginning, Ling Xiao had no idea where he was taken. Ying Feng followed the instructions of the medical staff and underwent a full health check-up.
“He has multiple external injuries, the most severe of which is a fracture. Fortunately, his internal organs aren’t damaged,” the medic in charge said to another person, looking at the test results. “However, 80% of the injuries are already healing on their own. His physical indicators are excellent. I haven’t seen such impressive data for many years. I think Major General Fu Yao will be pleased.”
“They accidentally completed the coming-of-age ceremony during their field practice. Both the Qizhu and the Qizi are exceptionally powerful in their juvenile state. Such a strong combination is rare. Such rare talents will definitely become a focus for the military in the future.”
“But there’s a significant risk with a strong bond.”
“You’re referring to the psychological quality of the loser? Indeed, if the Qizi cannot endure the chaotic period, the Qizhu will not develop fully. Even if they can enter the military academy, the lack of growth opportunities means they won’t progress in the military.”
“Ah.” The first person sighed. “I hope the others can pass through this period smoothly. It would be a pity if anything happened to such talented kids.”
“Major General,” one of them caught sight of Fu Yao entering and immediately stood up in salute, followed by the other.
Fu Yao, having just received treatment for his hand, returned the salute and approached. “What are the test results?”
The medical staff printed out the report. “Here’s the report.”
Fu Yao skimmed through. “Any abnormalities?”
“If I have to say…” The doctor hesitated. “His secretion of sex hormones is slightly high. But considering they just completed the coming-of-age ceremony, it’s possible.”
“Could this result be induced by hormonal imbalances in the other person?”
“Of course. He was previously an awakened juvenile, and hormonal instability is normal. It can easily be influenced by external factors, including fighting, intimacy, or even unintentional contact. Even if suppressants were administered beforehand, they would be ineffective. Major General, is there a problem with the other person?”
Fu Yao handed them another report. “This is the result from next door.”
Both immediately noticed the anomaly. “How can this be? This is strange.”
“You find it problematic too?”
“The level of sex hormones in his body is too high, far beyond the normal range. Even the hormone secretion during the coming-of-age ceremony shouldn’t be this high.”
“But the result you see is not the peak value. Because when this data was collected, his hormonal levels had already been suppressed. That means, when he truly lost control, the value would have been much higher.”
The two exchanged glances.
Fu Yao’s expression was enigmatic. “It seems only another report can tell us the truth.”
The third report arrived just in time, along with some fragments of unknown origin.
“We’ve checked the fragments scattered at the scene. They are pieces of a common medicinal spray container. However, there are no residues on them, so we can’t determine the contents of the medicine. Fortunately, there’s a label on the bottle.”
After saying this, he handed the pieced-together label to the medical personnel on-site to identify. The label was badly damaged, but the words on it were still vaguely visible.
“This is a suppressant spray used by fledglings during their awakening phase. It has the same ingredients as the injectable suppressant, but it’s used in emergencies. For a fledgling that has awakened, having this drug on them is quite common.”
Another person added, “This type of spray container is indeed common, but its material has its uniqueness. Any liquid medicine stored in such a container shares one characteristic: it’s highly unstable. If it’s exposed to the air over a large area, it will quickly evaporate and decompose. After a while, even the most precise instruments can’t detect its presence in the air.”
Fu Yao summarized their statements. “So, one person lost control for some reason and tried to forcefully take another person’s heart’s blood. The other person resisted, but unfortunately, the internal suppressant became ineffective during their scuffle. The bottle containing the suppressant spray was broken, and hormonal levels skyrocketed uncontrollably.”
“In a situation where escape was impossible, they were reluctantly dragged into the coming-of-age ceremony,” Fu Yao sneered. “It feels like a familiar plotline. I think I’ve heard it somewhere before.”
“But the question is,” the chief physician voiced his doubt, “Why did the first person suddenly lose control?”
“That’s what this report is going to tell us.” Fu Yao finally pulled out the report, directly scanning to the end where the test results were. A smirk appeared on his lips. “I guessed right. The syringe found at the scene was filled with Ember.”
“Ember?” The other two were shocked. “How could a fledgling possibly get their hands on Ember?”
“It’s not just Ember.” Fu Yao’s gaze pierced through the glass, resting directly on Ying Feng inside the transparent treatment chamber. “It’s Ember II, which even the military has banned.”
“I didn’t expect this matter to be so… personal,” Teest said an hour later.
At the moment, the two of them stood straight in the “bedroom”. The atmosphere was even more peculiar than that evening at Aunt Sophie’s.
Priestess Anakin generously offered them a tent. Like all magic tents, this small pointy one had an interior of about 30 square meters, including a simple living room and a semi-open bedroom.
A larger tent that could accommodate four people wasn’t too expensive, but Nol guessed that both groups needed ample privacy.
As a result, Nol was tasked with helping Teest change into his costume.
“Just as Anakin said, changing clothes to the usual extent is just inappropriate in front of the opposite sex.”
Nol cleared his throat, trying to rectify Teest’s ambiguous statement. “You just show your waist, stick the tail to your spine, and it will automatically align—attach the horns and tail, and finally the outer robe. You don’t need to change your underwear.”
Teest didn’t move while his succubus tail was happily bouncing on the bed.
“Just stick it to the spine, and it’s done in a few seconds. It doesn’t hurt at all.” Thinking Test hadn’t heard him, Nol repeated.
“You try it first,” Teest said.
“Wha—what?”
“I said, you try it first. I need to see the actual effect.” Teest kept his annoying smile. “I don’t like putting things I haven’t touched close to my body. What if it’s a letter opener 2.0? Don’t worry, it’s better for only me to see than for everyone to watch. Your knight won’t mock you.”
Nol found he couldn’t argue. The effect of the letter opener was too strong. It was no wonder Teest was wary.
So, he reluctantly removed his robe and began to unbutton his inner shirt. The atmosphere was admittedly odd as he sat on the edge of the bed, deliberately avoiding looking at Teest.
Teest, arms crossed, watched as Nol slowly undressed. Nol’s physique was indeed very much like a traditional mage, lacking the muscular lines typical of warriors. Fortunately, he had maintained a good figure with a flexible waist and no excess fat, offering a different kind of appeal.
…It was rare to see Mr. Lich so uncomfortable that his neck turned a bit red. Teest found this extremely amusing.
A few steps away, Nol spread his shirt without completely taking it off. He grabbed the active tail on the bed, clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, and stuck its base to his lower back.
The lively tail immediately solidified, and the end touching the skin lit up with a faint red glow. Around the contact point, intricate magical patterns spread out on the fair skin like ripples.
The tail moved itself to the coccyx position as the patterns shimmered. Once in the correct position, the magical patterns dimmed, and the skin merged flawlessly, showing no imperfections.
‘…It’s a miracle,’ Teest thought, albeit slightly naughty.
However, the next moment, the tail stiffened.
Nol’s face tensed.
Only now did he realize how hard it was to control this thing attached to him. The unfamiliar sensation, weight, and the control of this living limb all appeared at once, overwhelming him.
Trying to showcase the tail, Nol was forced to stand up and almost lost his balance.
He didn’t know how to control it, so the tail straightforwardly portrayed his nervous state—it remained unnaturally straight, with the tip pointing obliquely at the ground.
Ignoring his open shirt, he tried to fiddle with the tail, but it continued to mimic an antenna. He stumbled a couple of steps, and the tail wobbled a few times, like a substandard electronic accessory.
“Hahahahahahaha—” Teest laughed out loud. “My Lord Lich, you look like you’ve been shot in the lower back!”
Nol gave up on the defiant tail. There was a rare blush on his cheeks. “You said you wouldn’t mock me!”
“Who said your knight is a Fallen Knight? I don’t have any chivalry.” Teest continued to laugh uncontrollably while gesturing. “Haha, don’t be mad. Maybe someone likes your… um, particularly naive succubus look.”
Nol took a deep breath, wanting to argue with him. However, seeing Teest’s genuinely happy smile, something he hadn’t seen in their long time traveling together, Nol couldn’t get angry.
Of course, it would’ve been better if the smile wasn’t at his expense, Nol thought with a sulky face. Not being angry didn’t mean he wouldn’t seek revenge.
He forcefully detached the tail by tapping its base thrice and lunged at Teest—who was still doubled over laughing—catching him off guard.
Using his weight, Nol pressed Teest face down on the bed. With a snap of his fingers, skeletal hands emerged from the bed, firmly grasping Teest.
Teest didn’t resist but turned his face with a sly smile. “Is this how you treat your dear brother?”
“Yes, as the future leader of monsters, I’m this brutal.”
Nol lifted himself, sitting back on the bed’s edge, and playfully waved the tail in front of Teest. “Now that I’ve demonstrated, it’s your turn, Deceitful Knight. You laughed so loudly earlier. Surely you can control it completely.”
“Who knows?” Teest teased with a smile.
Teest wore a short tunic that easily lifted at the top. Nol decisively pushed away the fabric at his waist, revealing a slim and strong torso—damn, Teest really had a good figure.
Realizing that Teest was still trembling from holding back laughter, Nol’s temples pulsed, and he pressed down on Teest’s lower back.
“Ouch!” Teest let out a sudden groan of pain.
Startled, Nol quickly pulled away his bony fingers, clumsily tapping on the base of the tail. “Hey, hey! What’s wrong with you? Does it hurt?”
Before he could touch the base, the long black tail suddenly curled up, wrapping around Nol’s wrist. Before he could react, the arrow-shaped tail tip deftly squeezed between his fingers—warm and soft, yet uniquely resilient, reminiscent of a not-so-wet tongue. The tail was surprisingly strong, and Nol couldn’t break free.
In the next moment, with the world spinning around him, Nol found himself pressed against the edge of the bed.
Teest leaned over. His eyes were still curved with amusement, and his long hair hung down, brushing against Nol’s cheek.
The tail seemed to be a natural extension of Teest’s body. It lazily unwound from Nol’s wrist and gently wrapped around his neck—slightly warmer than body temperature and smooth to the touch.
At this moment, the soft tip of the tail gently caressed Nol’s throat.
“It seems I’m indeed better at this than you,” Teest said with a smile. “It doesn’t hurt at all. Honey, if you want to pretend to be a leader of monsters, you can’t be so easily deceived.”
“And you said you’re not a succubus,” Nol said through gritted teeth. “Mr. Teest, how long have you been separated from your tail?”
“I remember we said goodbye on a rainy night…” Teest pretended to recall nostalgically, the tail tip still leisurely twirling beside Nol’s jaw.
Taking advantage of Teest’s act, Nol tried to lower his head and gently bit the tail tip.
Teest, jolted from the distraction, took a sharp breath.
He glanced at Nol and quickly retracted the tail wrapped around his neck. The tail now swayed powerfully behind him, like that of a large feline.
Nol pushed away Teest’s hand, sat up from the edge of the bed, and began to button up his shirt. “Don’t forget your devil horns and clothes. We still have to meet with those two Players later.”
“Ah, good times are always so short-lived.” Teest lamented while rubbing the tip of his tail. Shadow Wolf Ben emerged from its shadow, its red eyes following the tail’s movements.
“Stop staring. It’s not food,” Nol cautioned, pressing a finger to the cool nose of the shadow wolf. “Go play on the edge of the forest, and make sure you guard the place well.”
The shadow wolf licked its nose and whined softly twice in reply.
“Aren’t we taking it?” Teest, now behaving more maturely, asked as he fixed horns on his head.
“We can’t. Bringing non-living things like Kando is okay… but the succubi built their lair on the Dream Edge, specifically to guard against intelligent beings,” Nol explained while pulling at a fleshy part of the wolf’s muzzle. “With it guarding the camp, we can rest a bit easier.”
While the shadow wolf possessed some intelligence, it was minimal, making it hard to bring along. Fortunately, it had strong attributes. The depths of the Black Forest were as mysterious as the deep sea, home to unknown creatures. But in the forest’s edges and middle, the shadow wolf could roam freely, making it perfect for guarding.
“Alright then.” Teest shrugged, adjusting his newly changed attire.
His outfit resembled the chlamys from ancient Greece, essentially a large piece of white fabric draped around his body, leaving Teest’s neck, chest, and limbs largely exposed. For the sake of convenience in combat and to prevent any indecent exposure, a few intricately decorated bands were added. Combined with the deceptive appearance of the Mad Monk, he looked somewhat divine in a classical way.
Unfortunately, the swaying black tail and the sharp horns amidst his white hair betrayed him.
At a glance, Teest looked almost indistinguishable from a real succubus. Thankfully, Anakin bought a standard set… the deluxe set even included wings. If he really had put them on, Nol couldn’t imagine the spectacle. He clicked his tongue inwardly.
“Alright, let’s—”
Before Nol could finish, he was momentarily entranced by Teest’s glowing golden eyes. After a few seconds, he snapped out of it.
“…Don’t suddenly charm me!”
“Ah, now I can relax,” Teest replied playfully, poking Nol’s chest with his tail tip.
Nol rolled his eyes and took out Kando from the box. Upon seeing Teest, Kando exclaimed in surprise.
“You guys are seriously messed up!” It exclaimed. “Seriously, I’m begging you. Can you do something a normal person would do for once? Every time! Every single time! You always find yourselves in these bizarre situations—woah!”
Nol pulled out a hollow, cylindrical black crystal, placing the candle upside down inside it. From the outside, only a small part of the crystal at the top of the staff emitted a faint blue glow.
It was something he had hastily made overnight to deal with the Players. The staff was also wrapped in a few rounds of hemp, making it look quite cheap.
“It’s boring like this. I can’t see anything,” the candle mumbled miserably from inside.
“Don’t be picky.” Teest pressed the crystal down firmly to ensure the candle was thoroughly concealed. “Alright, Mr. Lich, is there anything else you need to prepare?”
Nol took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”
……
“…Crush the leaves of these flowers to extract the juice and drop it into the candle. Then soak the petals in essential oil until they turn purple. Just apply this essential oil to your eyelids, and then sleep.”
In the deepening night, Nol carefully explained.
“This isn’t astral projection. Our physical bodies will not be left behind. There’s no need to worry about guarding them…”
Even though they were momentarily stunned by Teest’s captivating charm, the two Players weren’t distracted. Under Nol’s guidance, everything was ready within an hour.
The purple essential oil had a particularly rich fragrance. Nol dipped his fingertip in it, carefully applying it to his eyelids. He and Teest leaned against the same tree, closing their eyes.
The cousins chose another nearby tree, with Anakin tightly holding onto her younger brother’s wrist.
Amidst the rich and intoxicating aroma, all four quickly fell asleep.
Nol dreamt of the neon lights in City A at night.
He was coming home from work late as usual, the aroma of street food filling the air. Feeling nostalgic, he carried two portions of fried chicken and two portions of grilled cold noodles as his stomach grumbled loudly.
So it turned out everything before was just a hallucination from overworking. How could anyone really transmigrate into their own game?
Nol—Xu Yue roamed the snack street, internally ridiculing his delusion. Suddenly, he detected the unique scent of baking.
Ah, there’s a cake shop open so late. Maybe I can also buy two peach cakes.
…Wait, why was he buying two of each?
…Why did he buy two of every food item?
…Right… Teest was waiting for him… But clearly, Teest wasn’t here…
His vision blurred, and the vivid colors of the snack street seemed to explode. The world felt like it was spinning, and he closed his eyes to bear it.
The next moment, Nol opened his eyes.
Teest was squatting in front of him, holding his chin, with his tail moving about.
“I was just thinking, if you didn’t wake up soon, I’d have to poke you awake,” Teest laughed.
Nol blinked, looking around.
The forest was still the same, as were the tents. However, the once green lawn now looked brighter, dotted with numerous tiny white flowers. The once dark night was now illuminated, with neither the sun nor the moon in sight. Instead, the sky blended shades of lilac and pale rose.
A pale purple mist continuously rolled at the horizon, filling the air with a sweet scent—it was hard to determine if it was floral or fruity.
The two Players were still sleeping soundly under the neighboring tree, their bodies giving off a surreal, semi-transparent aura.
“We’re here, at the edge between reality and dreams,” Nol said, his voice a bit hoarse.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Teest didn’t follow up immediately.
“…Sort of,” Nol replied.
The neon lights of that world lingered in his vision, and a subtle sour sensation remained in his heart.
Teest hummed in acknowledgment, rubbing Nol’s head. “It’s over now. Don’t dwell on it.”
Before Nol could raise an eyebrow at this strange behavior, Teest leaned in. “Those two Players just woke up. Remember now, I’m your elder brother, right?”
“Damn, this place is… amazing,” Rogue Solo exclaimed, looking around. “Wait, let me correct myself. It’s a bit creepy too. There’s not even the chirping of birds—feels fake.”
Anakin cautiously pulled out her wand.
It was a small, elegant wand, just a bit longer than a pen. Made of silver metal, it was adorned with a milk-white orb the size of a lychee at the end.
This wand was called the “Perfect Teardrop”. Nol recognized it. It was an exclusive weapon for the White Priest class, and its power ranked among the top ten of this level.
“This place really gives off an uneasy vibe,” Anakin whispered.
‘That’s a bit of an overreaction,’ Nol thought. The name “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” came from a famous romantic comedy and was related to a heartwarming love story.
Two hundred years had passed, and although the story might have concluded, the sequel couldn’t be that bad—after all, Players could still receive related quests.
Anakin euphemistically shared the outline of their quest, which was similar to the original mission setting. They all have to “relieve the troubles of the Succubus Queen”.
The succubus was considered a small immortal species. The queen may not have changed, so there shouldn’t be any trouble…
“Now that we have successfully entered, if it is convenient, please tell us more details,” Nol said with a smile.
It was time to lighten the mood with some good stories.
“Oh, that love tragedy.” Rogue Solo touched his chin. “I have read the text for what felt like 800 times, so feel free to ask any details. That story, well… it’s quite realistic.”
Tragic love story*?
*Note: They are talking about the in-game story, not the actual literature of A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by Shakespeare. For more details on that, see my Kinky Thoughts.
Nol’s brows twitched.
“But my teacher said that ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is a token of love between the succubus Queen Hyacinth and her lover Decoste. They are a happy couple.”
Hyacinth was a stunning genius of the succubus clan. This queen’s wisdom was no less than her beauty.
During her adventurous journey, Hyacinth met Decoste, a human friend. They wandered into the deep Black Forest together. Over time, the two fell in love with each other.
Decoste’s family was wealthy, and he generously spent a lot of property to buy twelve perfect red magic diamonds to woo Hyacinth.
Hyacinth accepted his pursuit.
She spent all her life learning to create the twelve red magic diamonds into the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a testimony of their love… This was the background story of this legendary set of jewelry.
In the quest two hundred years ago, the two lovers got into trouble because of a misunderstanding, and the Players needed to help them solve this little trouble. After that, they would live happily together… as they should.
“Your teacher probably only read the beginning of the story.”
Solo shook his head sadly.
“They may have fallen in love, but according to the existing literature, they didn’t even survive the contradiction of the ‘lifespan theory’.”
“They’re all dead. Decoste died of old age and illness after remarrying, and Hyacinth committed suicide a few years later… Those documents were specially collected by Decoste’s descendants.”
“They died over a hundred and fifty years ago.”
The author has something to say:
Nol: Help, my blood pressure is up again!
Teest: (touching his head)
————————————
I actually wrote about a succubus fight…ah, a succubus fight (…
Kinky Thoughts:
The story of A Midsummer’s Night Dream by William Shakespeare is a comedy set in Athens that consists of several subplots surrounding the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. They all have themes related to love, blending humor, fantasy, and romance elements. At the end, all the subplots are resolved, and everyone is reconciled (which is why Nol reacted the way he did, since it’s not a tragic love story, unlike Shakespeare’s other works).
You can go to the Wikipedia to read up on the entire plot.
Most likely, Nian Zhong referencing the lover’s quarrel between Hyacinth and Decoste from the Fairy King and Queen in Shakespeare’s play, where the Fairy King Oberon and Fairy Queen Titania are having a lover’s feud.
Anakin led them to an unremarkable small restaurant.
Hidden on the corner of a street, the restaurant wasn’t particularly outstanding in appearance. Its storefront didn’t boast flashy magical artifacts, and the daily menu was written in plain ink on parchment, loosely attached to the wall. Nol remembered this corner. In the design, this place was supposed to be a small greenhouse.
“It’s a family restaurant. I come here often. It’s a bit small, but the food is really good,” Anakin said.
It wasn’t mealtime, so there weren’t many customers. She chose the table furthest inside.
The owner quickly served the food. Nol realized why she liked this place—the owner seemed to be an immigrant, with dishes mainly featuring stir-fries and stews that were uncommon in Shidina, catering more to the tastes of people from Country C.
Nol deeply understood her sentiment.
“Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Anakin, a Priestess. This young guy is my cousin, Solo, who often roams the streets, up to no good. Both of us have no surnames—we’re genuine commoners.”
The Priestess still wore a gentle smile. In the dim light, her smile seemed a tad deceitful, as if luring children.
Anakin had transformed her Player’s earring into a rose-shaped gold earring. Solo, on the other hand, chose to blend in. Not only did he modify his Player’s earring, but he also adorned both ears with a plethora of earrings and studs, fully embracing the punk aesthetic.
Their individual names seemed harmless, but together they appeared suspicious. Nol wanted to ask if Solo had a friend named Chewbacca*, but he held back.
“My name is Landus. You’ve met my younger brother Ross.”
At this moment, Teest seemed quite normal. With folded hands, he sounded gentle and refined. “Thank you both for today. If it weren’t for you, my brother would have been seriously injured… It’s my fault. I should have looked after him better.”
Rogue Solo glanced at Teest’s face, then at Nol’s, and finally at Anakin. His face clearly read, “I understand you now,” and his expression gradually warmed.
“Oh, it was nothing! That drunkard must have been an outsider, causing a commotion on the commercial street like that. Many were watching. Even if I didn’t step in, you’d be fine.”
Solo’s tone was enthusiastic. “This street belongs to the ‘General’. That guy even wanted to grab assets from the Alva Merchant Group. He’s clearly courting death.”
The young Rogue’s eyes sparkled, almost as if urging, “Aren’t you curious? Ask me!” It was clear they had also just arrived in Grape Collar.
“Um, we haven’t been back here for many years. Everyone knows the Alva Merchant Group, but who is this ‘General’?” Teest asked smoothly.
“The biggest gang leader in town—the big boss of the underworld. Rumor has it he has a good relationship with the Alva Merchant Group.”
The Rogue put his hands behind his head and said in a relaxed tone, “If you want to stay out of trouble, better not misbehave here—well, don’t do anything the ‘General’ doesn’t approve of.”
“So you’re one of the ‘General’s’ men?” Teest inquired.
“No, no, no. I belong to another organization. The ‘General’ collaborates with us, which is why I can make a living here,” Rogue Solo said with a sheepish grin.
Nol somewhat grasped the current situation.
The Temple of Life was willing to accept Players. However, for the sake of its image, it wouldn’t just accept anyone. Jobs like black mages, thieves, and barbarian warriors needed to level up too. If they acted under the Temple’s “Saints” banner, it would be tricky for the temple.
And not all Players trusted the Temple. Those not wanting to join the Eternal Church would ideally operate in the gray zone. This way, their fellow Players in the Temple could still look out for them.
“Which organization do you belong to?” Nol feigned interest. “My teacher has talked about famous organizations from various countries. Maybe I’ve heard of it.”
“‘Hermitage’. It’s relatively new. You probably haven’t heard of it.” Solo rubbed his nose. “But our friends… Well, acquaintances, are spread far and wide. Hey, mentioning this name might save you some trouble in the future.”
Nol mentally noted the “Homeward Saints Guild” that was attached to the Temple of Life and the more independent “Hermitage”. Now he knew of two formal Player guilds.
“Thank you for the offer.” Nol nodded.
Solo looked at Nol and Teest as if he’d found an oasis in a desert. Nol, feeling a bit creeped out, tried to control his facial expressions and cleared his throat.
“I’ve been thinking about how to repay the two of you,” Nol began slowly, his eyes focused on a small stain on the table. “My teacher once told me about a hidden treasure. Unfortunately, before we could embark on an adventure, my teacher passed away… Now, I want to find that treasure.”
“My brother and I aren’t powerful enough. If the two of you could join us, we’d be willing to share the spoils.”
Solo’s eyes lit up. Anakin’s eyes also flashed with momentary delight, though she was more reserved in her reaction. “Are you sure this treasure exists?”
“Yes. My teacher said it’s a collection of beautiful jewels. Among them, a set named ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is the most precious, possessing remarkable magical powers,” Nol said, dangling the bait.
Squeak—!
Anakin moved abruptly, causing her chair to scrape the floor.
“Sorry, sorry,” she hurriedly said, realizing her gaffe. “We’ve been looking for this ancient jewelry set. I got a bit excited.”
“I mean, we won’t ask you to give it to us… If you’re willing to part with a few pieces, we’d be very grateful. The Saints will offer equal monetary compensation in return. We can make a formal agreement,” she quickly added, worried about potential misunderstandings.
Sure enough, this is a normal Player. Nol sighed deep down. If it were the people from the Eternal Church, they would have backstabbed after using them and would go to any lengths to achieve their ends.
“It’s said that the jewelry set has four pieces. We only want the pair of earrings from it.”
Teest naturally took over the topic. “You can have the crown and necklace, and the found gems will be equally divided. There’s no need for extra money. It’s a great honor for us if the two of you would join us.”
“We have only one requirement.” After a pause of two seconds, Teest continued with a smile, “Considering the nature of this trip, we hope you understand that we don’t want too many companions.”
Anakin’s face turned sad, looking almost like she was about to cry. Her expression gave off a feeling of—perhaps this metaphor wasn’t quite right—relief after being constipated for several days.
“Of course, we understand. Goddess above, thank you for your generous offerings.” She quickly reverted to her saintly demeanor as she spoke in a dreamy voice.
Rogue Solo stuffed a piece of fried eggplant into his mouth and tried hard not to roll his eyes.
“What are you skilled at?” he asked Teest after swallowing the eggplant. “I know your brother is a mage… My cousin and I aren’t very good at holding off enemies. We might be short-handed.”
‘Watching Players try to fool NPCs is quite fun,’ Nol thought, holding back a smile. Indeed, mages were damage dealers as well as thieves, and then there was a healer. From the Players’ perspective, they still needed a tank in their team.
Coincidentally, Teest was a tank—a Fallen Knight was still a knight. Just today, he dressed in robes and glasses, making him look like a ranged class.
“I know a bit of swordsmanship,” Teest said, taking a sip of hot grape tea and adjusting his glasses.
……
“…According to later investigations, a swordsman and a mage appeared in the Battle of Whitebird City.”
Inside the grand cathedral of the Temple of Life, Knight Eugune, captain of the Fifth Regiment, reported with his head bowed.
“It’s confirmed that they clashed with the Eternal Demons, Crimson and Jack, and severely wounded the former Lord of Whitebird City, Jonah Swain, before our arrival. Their identity, affiliation, and relationship with the ‘Mad Monk’ are unknown.”
“The two didn’t show hostility towards the Temple. We seek guidance from the Goddess, Your Eminence.”
“I’ve heard about the tragedy of Whitebird City. You’ve done well, Knight Eugene.” An elderly voice answered from above.
“The Holy Land hasn’t received a new oracle. Those two might not be our adversaries… With the followers of the evil god rampant everywhere, your vigilance is commendable. If you can, consider investigating on your own.”
“I always follow God’s guidance.”
Eugene currently wasn’t wearing his gauntlets. He interlaced his ten fingers, forming a shape reminiscent of an ear of wheat. He then lowered his head and gently kissed the emerald ring on his thumb—from beneath the gem, the emblem of the Goddess of Life emitted a faint glow.
“Another thing, the ‘Night of the Hunt’ dungeon near Grape Collar has been completely destroyed. The temple in Grape Collar has taken in many people trapped inside. Unlike previous cases, some recall their experiences inside but not how they left. At the same time, ‘Hermitage’ reported that Demon Jack has vanished from their ‘list’, and Demon Crimson was later spotted near the dungeon.”
“Do you suspect the unknown swordsman and mage?”
“The Eternal Church’s Demons hate being at a disadvantage. ‘Night of the Hunt’ is located on the trade route between Whitebird City and Grape Collar. It might not be a coincidence,” Eugene said, lowering his head even more.
“If there’s a related oracle, the Fifth Regiment will take priority.”
“Yes,” Eugene closed his eyes and responded solemnly.
“Remember, currently prioritize the needs of the Homeward Saints. God has made it clear: They are our best hope against the darkness,” The elderly Archbishop said. “Lately, monsters fluent in all languages have appeared, perhaps a sign of the Demon King’s power… The Eternal Church is but a temporary adversary. Defeating the Demon King is our long-standing goal.”
“These monsters’ souls also hail from another world. If discovered, handle them discreetly, ensuring the Saints don’t get unnecessary thoughts.”
“God’s will is my will,” Eugene replied.
“If you’re interested in the destruction of ‘Night of the Hunt’, the Fifth Regiment can assist the temple in Grape Collar—the Saints there have been quite active lately,” the Archbishop suggested.
Eugene stood up and bowed deeply.
He raised his head, looking past the elderly man seated in a high position, towards the stained-glass windows of the temple.
Countless colors converged to form an image of the Goddess of Life, Tilia. Sunlight filtered through, scattering a mosaic of light across the floor. Eugene’s green eyes softened slightly, his gaze gentle and tender.
……
“What is this?” Teest asked with a smile.
When he asked this question, he gave a sidelong glance at Nol. The latter’s gaze was like a plastic bag in a wild wind, drifting especially randomly.
The Players were very enthusiastic. After their agreement, Anakin brought them outside the city the next day, heading towards the edge of the Black Forest in a carriage.
On the fast-moving carriage, Anakin carefully set up a wooden table and started placing props on it.
…Very strange props.
Teest looked at the succubus tail in his hand, which wriggled like a snake, for a few seconds before asking the aforementioned question.
‘It’s just a cosmetic item from the game shop,’ Nol thought as he looked at the roof of the carriage.
Teest, whose game functions were largely sealed off as “God’s Forsaken”, might not have noticed it before. After all, cosmetics were just that—flashy and expensive, which were basically junk for the Mad Monk.
There was also a matching pair of very stereotypical devil horns, as well as an even more stereotypical… um, outfit. Thankfully, their game had gone through review, so the level of exposure was relatively restrained, and it wasn’t made in a tight-fitting style.
“Everyone knows our destination is the succubus lair,” Anakin said seriously. “You both have distinctive looks. This attire can help lower the hostility of the succubi. Consider these two sets as gifts. No need for thanks.”
Nol tried to suppress the quaking of his pupils.
…What’s there to be so polite about?! It wasn’t like they needed to use this in order to access the dungeon!
Beside him, Teest kept flipping and examining that succubus tail, his eyebrows raising higher and higher.
The corner of Anakin’s mouth also trembled. She tried to sound serious, making the situation less awkward. “The two of you offered clues about the ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It’s the least we could do in return. Actually, my companions searched the edge of the Black Forest for a long time but never found the succubus lair mentioned in the texts.”
Nol blinked, then it clicked.
The “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was a unique jewelry set. The game developers were wary about letting the AI take liberties with the sensitive nature of the succubi, so they set a specific quest flow.
Players might have found records to trigger the quest and successfully accept it. But with two hundred years having passed, physical records inevitably got lost or damaged, and it was hard to match the changing landscapes, so their struggle to find it made sense.
“Don’t worry. My teacher taught me how to enter their lair.” Nol decided to give the two Players some insider tips.
In the setting of “Tahe”, succubi would nest near the edges of cities in forests. They avoid direct contact with humanoid beings, instead giving them indescribable dreams to draw life force from.
In other words, in the world of Tahe, succubi were the rulers of dreams.
But their powers had significant limitations. To successfully target someone, the succubus must have seen the person directly. During dream manipulation, they couldn’t be too far from their target. Also, they couldn’t share a target. They each needed their own.
Given these limitations, it was no wonder they liked to nest near forests frequented by humans. If Players were looking for a common succubus, indiscriminate searching would’ve found them by now.
But this was about the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” quest.
After explaining the nature of the succubi, Nol could only help Players skip the tedious parts of the quest chain.
“… My teacher said the succubus borrowed the power of that jewelry to build their nest on the boundary between dreams and reality. By normal means, you can’t get in. Wait until nightfall, and I’ll teach you,” Nol said earnestly.
“Wow, that’s amazing,” exclaimed Rogue Solo. “Sir, you must be a monster expert.”
“I am indeed very interested in monsters,” Nol modestly replied, “But we don’t need to dress like succubi. We could…”
“I said it’s okay. Don’t be polite. It’s the safest way.” Anakin smiled gently.
Nol: “……” He shouldn’t have released this outfit as the first batch!
As they spoke, the driverless carriage arrived at the border of the Black Forest.
This forest was much more expansive than the one near Whitebird City. If the Whitebird City’s forest was like a normal forest park, the Black Forest would be comparable to the Amazon Rainforest, being the second-largest forest in Tahe.
The largest forest was in the north, in the territory of Shiva, the realm of non-human entities. While the Shiva Forest was vast, it had been thoroughly explored by generations of inhabitants and was now under the control of intelligent life forms.
The Black Forest, on the other hand, was different. It was filled with all sorts of thick fog, marshes, and magical creatures, exuding danger and mystery.
They left the Grape Collar in the early morning, and now the western sky was already painted with hues of twilight. Anakin didn’t dare let the carriage enter the Black Forest, stopping just at its edge.
Nol dumbfoundedly looked at the succubus tail in his hand. He glanced around to see Solo’s sour expression, as if he had eaten something bitter. Only Anakin and Teest seemed calm.
Suddenly, Nol had an idea and exclaimed, “Wait, we can’t all dress like this.”
“Why?” Anakin paused, hand still on the horn.
“If we all dress as succubi, the four of us could be perceived as a new ‘tribe’. Our actions might be seen as invasive, making the succubi more wary,” Nol explained truthfully.
“That’s great!” Solo quickly put away the outfit. “Sister, if you want to wear it, go ahead. I’m a bit shy.”
“Mingling with humans would be worse, right?” Anakin whispered, stepping on Solo’s foot.
“No, succubi don’t inherently despise humans. They have a strong need for social interaction, often blending with other humanoid species.”
If they didn’t understand human needs, how could they craft efficient dreams? Social skills were essential for every succubus.
“Then…” Anakin hesitated with the costume in her hand.
Everyone wearing it wouldn’t be a problem. But if even one person refrained, it could make those who wear it feel… awkward.
“I’ll wear it,” Teest volunteered. “Miss Anakin and your brother need not force themselves. My brother is more introverted. He probably can’t handle it. By his logic, I’m enough on my own.”
Anakin’s gaze traveled across their faces. “But you guys look…”
Teest smiled faintly.
Removing his gold-rimmed glasses and loosening his tied-back black hair, the strands turned snow-white, and his blue eyes shone a brilliant gold. After reverting to his original appearance, Teest unbuttoned his collar.
“Now we don’t look like brothers.” Teest grinned.
Nol sensed a familiar yet subtle wave—Teest was covertly using “Dream Manipulation” on the Players.
“Then we’ll rely on you,” Anakin said, nodding as she decisively put away her costume.
“You’re too kind.”
Teest, playing with the long, slippery black tail, asked, “Now, can someone tell me how to wear this thing?”
The author has something to say:
Mad Monk, no scruples!
Nol:
Nol: It’s just selling cosmetics. Everyone can understand, right?! This isn’t a personal fetish. Just selling cosmetics…
————————————
By the way, I’ve corrected the previous description of the “Dream Manipulation” skill! It was previously written that it could only be used on NPCs. In fact, Teest had used it on Nol before, so the description was inaccurate (…
Also, the names of the two Players are references to Star Wars. Some readers might not be familiar with this. Just to clarify _(:з」∠)
Kinky Thoughts:
I wonder if Teest would have scruples if he was told in order to wear the tail, he has to shove it up his…
———
I have gone back to that chapter (21) and fixed it, but for those chasing the novel as it’s being released, make note of it.
The change became: Dream Manipulation, an exclusive skill of the succubus, could only be used on intelligent humanoid beings.
As the chapters are being translated as they are released, changes made by the author will be fixed when the author points them out.
Upon entering this level, the four players automatically changed into military uniforms. Moreover, except for Situ Qing, who retained most of her appearance despite being slightly behind in progress, the faces of the other three players became increasingly similar to others.
After looking around the deserted pier, the three tried to walk towards the city area.
Five hundred meters from the dock was the city area. It was evident that this city was once quite prosperous. Skyscrapers and buildings were closely packed, and the streets were built very neatly. But on the long streets, in the tall buildings, and in the alleys… there was not a soul to be found. It seemed like a ghost town.
There was no sign of life in this city. It was enveloped in an eerie silence. After walking down a long main street, Zhou Qian noticed a small alley to the side. He took out the little dragon from his bag and whispered some instructions to it. The little dragon nodded obediently and slipped into the alley.
Seeing this, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but hiss. “Your pet is so cute. It’s inhumane to do this. Did you send it to scout the alley for danger?”
Zhou Qian looked at him and said, “Yes, it’s quite inhumane. Why don’t you go?”
He Xiaowei bumped Zhou Qian’s shoulder playfully. “If something happened to me, who would take care of you?”
Zhou Qian tilted his chin towards the alley and said, “I’ll be responsible for your safety now. At the beginning of the game, players are separated, but later levels often require collaboration. But the four of us…”
Zhou Qian didn’t need to finish his sentence, He Xiaowei understood.
Yun Xiangrong had changed from a healer to an attacker, but with only 30 skill points, she could only get very low-level standard attack skills, meaning her attack output could be ignored.
Situ Qing had offensive capabilities, but she clearly wasn’t trustworthy. As for He Xiaowei, though he could both attack and heal, and his skills had no cooldown and consumed little mana, both his attack and healing were weak.
Finally, Zhou Qian wasn’t an attacker, at least not a consistent one. He had a control ability, but his ultimate consumed a lot of mana and had stringent conditions. Without corpses or souls to utilize, his ultimate would be nearly powerless.
The more He Xiaowei thought about it, the more uncertain he felt about their future. At that moment, the little dragon quickly returned from the alley and jumped into Zhou Qian’s arms. Zhou Qian gently patted its head.
He Xiaowei remarked, “You’re not bothered by its dirty legs? So you’re not a clean freak; just averse to blood?”
Zhou Qian didn’t respond, asking the little dragon something in a low voice. The dragon shook its head, and they proceeded into the alley.
Both sides of the alley were lined with breakfast stalls, some selling steamed buns and others selling soy milk and fried dough sticks. The steam rose from the buns, and oil bubbled in the frying pans, but there were no vendors or customers.
At the end of the alley was a small open park with several large trees, and under each tree was a chessboard, some with Chinese chess set up, others with Go. The Go pieces were in mid-battle, but the players were nowhere to be seen.
Zhou Qian noticed an open window in a nearby building and had the little dragon jump in. It soon opened the door from inside.
Zhou Qian led He Xiaowei into the building first to investigate, and as expected, found no one inside.
On the balcony, one cloth shoe was hung up to dry, while the other was on the floor. It looked as though someone was in the process of hanging the shoes when they suddenly disappeared. Next to the shoes, a watering can was half-filled with water and tipped over on the ground; inside, a bun with a bite taken out of it was slowly getting cold on the dining table…
Throughout their journey, Zhou Qian saw many such strange scenes. It was as if the city’s residents were living their normal lives, and then, in an instant, they all disappeared.
Leaving the empty room, Zhou Qian and his group returned to the alley.
At that moment, the sound of musical instruments came from not far away.
As dusk approached, thick clouds obscured the setting sun, shrouding the entire city in a peculiar gray-yellow hue and a strangely quiet atmosphere.
The sudden appearance of celebratory music at this time seemed rather out of place.
He Xiaowei swallowed hard and quickly approached Zhou Qian.
Just as he reached out, intending to grab Zhou Qian’s sleeve, Zhou Qian swiftly stepped back, avoiding him.
He Xiaowei: “…”
Did you seriously just step back from me?
Suddenly, a system panel notification popped up.
Zhou Qian opened the system map and noticed an exclamation mark on a nearby street.
The System then sent a message:
[Main quest “West Pier” initiated.]
[Proceed to the location marked by the exclamation point for the main storyline.]
With the festive music echoing through the city that was about to fall into dusk, despite finding it bizarre, players had no choice but to follow the sound.
Situ Qing took out her bell and took the lead with a cold expression.
Yun Xiangrong retrieved a protective shield given to her by Gao Shan, glanced back at He Xiaowei and Zhou Qian, and followed Situ Qing.
After another unsuccessful attempt to grab Zhou Qian’s sleeve, He Xiaowei cautiously took out his guqin, which was ever so contrasting with his demeanor, yet he remained vigilant to his surroundings.
The four of them returned from the alley to a main street close to the pier and continued moving towards the marked location on the map.
The main street was as quiet as before, though it seemed dimmer due to the evening gloom.
Walking along the deserted street, Zhou Qian suddenly noticed something unusual with the little dragon in his arms. The creature tapped Zhou Qian’s shoulder and pointed to a spot around the corner, making a “yip” sound.
That spot seemed empty, but the little dragon kept staring at it, blinking, seemingly perplexed.
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei instantly jumped back several meters.
Zhou Qian covered the little dragon’s eyes with his hand, trying to see through its eyes.
The little dragon was formed from his scales after he had transformed into a god. The System also said that the little dragon would share a life essence with him, so in a sense, it was a part of him.
Moments later, although the vision wasn’t clear, Zhou Qian succeeded.
Through the little dragon’s eyes, he saw a young girl at the corner.
She wore ragged clothes and crouched on the street, holding a bowl with a chipped edge.
Her face was dirty, and her uneven hair, which appeared to have been haphazardly cut by herself, reached her shoulders.
She seemed to be a beggar, probably asking for alms on this street near the pier because of the numerous well-off individuals passing by.
The vision Zhou Qian received was blurry, resembling an old water-damaged photograph.
Before he could get a clearer look at the girl’s face, she vanished as if disappearing into thin air.
Animals often could perceive things humans couldn’t, like ghosts.
Could the girl be a ghost rather than a human?
Had everyone in the city died and turned into ghosts? How did they die? Where are the other ghosts?
Wait, if the girl was indeed a spirit, did she genuinely vanish, or was it just that the little dragon’s ability to perceive spirits momentarily waned?
Following this line of thought, the city might not be deserted after all.
Perhaps the streets, even the entire city, were occupied by spirits, still living their lives, unaware of their deaths.
Players couldn’t perceive them simply because they couldn’t see them.
Could this new main quest be a supernatural instance?
With these thoughts, Zhou Qian, accompanied by his teammates, following the system map’s directions, entered a relatively broad alley.
The joyous music grew louder. At the end of the lane, there stood a lavish residence adorned with lights and decorations. Two stone lions, draped with red silk, guarded its entrance, while two bright red “囍*” characters adorned the main gate.
*Happy. Often used for weddings.
It seemed someone was about to get married.
Such a festive door should be matched with a bustling crowd. However, the deserted alleyway contrasted starkly with the vibrant red everywhere. The only thing matching the big red “double 囍” character was the sound of the suona* approaching the alley.
*A traditional double-reeded Chinese musical instrument. It had a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, and was used frequently in Chinese traditional music ensembles, particularly in those that perform outdoors.
Yet whether it was the suona or the “double 囍” character, in this desolate setting, as the sunset gradually receded, the scene seemed eerily eerie.
After a short while, night had fully set in. The only illumination came from two lanterns hanging in front of the vermilion door.
The wind blew, causing the lanterns to sway. Through the lantern fabric, the shadows cast on the ground wavered. He Xiaowei, out of the corner of his eye, mistook it for a ghost in red, quickly grabbed Zhou Qian’s arm. Zhou Qian managed to dodge just in time, barely avoiding He Xiaowei’s grasp.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Qian asked.
“Fuck me, I was scared! I thought there was a ghost…” He Xiaowei realized it was just a lantern and took a deep breath.
But to his surprise, Zhou Qian immediately said, “You’re right, there is a ghost.”
He Xiaowei: ?!!
The ghosts came from the alley behind the players, and there was more than one. When Zhou Qian, who had dodged He Xiaowei’s grasp, looked back, the first thing he saw was a large amount of paper money fluttering down like snowflakes.
The coins made of yellow paper floated down like snow, and the sound of the suona and traditional music grew louder and nearer. Four figures, seemingly without feet, carried a bright red sedan chair. They appeared to float as they approached the vermilion door from the alley.
On each side of the sedan were two maidens, and beside them walked an old lady with a mole typical of a matchmaker on her face. Behind the sedan was the group responsible for the music. The joyful tunes that the players had been hearing came from them.
Looking at their faces, their skin was pale but otherwise normal. The issue was with their feet—it looked like they weren’t walking but floating above the ground.
Seeing the players, the old matchmaker walked over with a smile and greeted them warmly. “Ah, you must be [Dong Shui’s] comrades! You’re all from the Falcon Squadron, right? I’ve heard it’s tough to get into your squad! No wonder you all look so outstanding! Haha, good to see you all. Let’s go in and enjoy the wedding feast!”
[Dong Shui] was the character that He Xiaowei was currently role-playing as. Was the current plot about him marrying a ghost bride?
Indeed, the next second, the matchmaker looked at He Xiaowei: “Ah? [Dong Shui], why are you here? Hurry up and change into your wedding attire! The bride is here. Why haven’t you changed?”
He Xiaowei widened his eyes in fear, but before he could escape, the vermilion door flung open, and two servants rushed out, swiftly taking him inside.
“Oh dear young master, why are you here?”
“If the master and madam see you haven’t changed, they’ll scold us!”
“We need to hurry and get you changed. Don’t miss the auspicious time!”
The two servants whisked He Xiaowei away, and soon after, the bright red bridal sedan chair was also carried inside to the sound of festive music.
Moments later, a lively group of “people” walked from the alley into the vermilion gate, leaving the matchmaker chatting with the players.
“Ah…times are tough. Just think about it, [Dong Shui] abandoned his vast family business to join the army. He said that the youth should be willing to die for the country… Yes, his intentions are noble. But as his elder, we worry for him.”
“He joined the army, and now he’s off on a special mission with the Falcon Squadron. I heard it’s extremely dangerous. The [Zhang] family girl is so stubborn… She insisted on marrying him even after Dong Shui wanted to call off the engagement.”
Wiping her tears with a handkerchief, the matchmaker continued, “They’ve known each other since they were children and wanted to get married… but who would have expected such national calamities? Dong Shui, in fact, cares deeply for Miss Zhang and didn’t want to hold her back, fearing he might die on his mission. He wanted to break off the engagement, but she insisted on marrying him.”
“Now he’s joining the Falcon Squadron for a mission. She wanted to get married before he left. She said if he were to sacrifice himself, at least she would have no regrets being his wife.”
The matchmaker sighed deeply. “But I could tell from her tone, if anything happens to Dong Shui, she might join him in death.”
After wiping away her tears, the old matchmaker turned her attention to the players. It seemed like something suddenly dawned on her and her expression turned serious. “Wait? Why are you wearing the uniforms of the Seventh Squadron? I heard that the S Army is about to attack! It seems they’ve placed spies in Cypress City beforehand and are constantly monitoring the movements here!”
“Quick, quick, come with me! I’ll take you to change your clothes! You absolutely can’t go around in these uniforms!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian sensed something and promptly took a step back. So, the ones the matchmaker grabbed by each hand were Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong.
“Come on, hurry. I’ll take you to change, then we should hurry to the wedding banquet!”
Zhou Qian glanced at Yun Xiangrong, then said to the old matchmaker, “They can go with you first. I’ve left something behind. I’ll go get it and be right back.”
Immediately, Zhou Qian turned around, swiftly took off his military uniform, and stashed it in his bag. After purchasing a random T-shirt from a trading stand and putting it on, he returned to the alley they came from.
Has everyone in this city truly turned into ghosts?
Could there possibly be a few living humans who had survived?
If there were any living people here, given the haunted nature of the city, they would surely hide.
The loud wedding procession just now might attract any survivors. Out of fear, they wouldn’t dare approach these ghosts. But once the ghosts entered the vermilion gate, perhaps the survivors would venture out.
This was the reason Zhou Qian came back to investigate the alley.
It didn’t take long for Zhou Qian to find something.
When he reached the middle of the alley, he heard a wooden door “creak” open. Through the crack of the door, two pairs of pitch-black eyes, as big as soybeans, were staring at him.
At the same time, through the gap in the wooden door, Zhou Qian detected a strong, pungent smell of blood.
Ying Feng and Ling Xiao were already wrestling with each other on the ground. From the moment Ling Xiao bared his fangs, Ying Feng instinctively felt something was wrong. When the latter targeted his chest to bite, a wave of strong resistance surged from deep within, accompanied by a sense of danger and fear of the unknown, even more so than when facing the Kui.
Just as Ling Xiao was about to bite, Ying Feng mustered all his strength and landed a punch, pushing him away.
That punch gave Ying Feng a brief moment of respite. However, it was quickly interrupted by Ling Xiao’s relentless assault. In this uncontrolled state, Ling Xiao was numb to pain. Regardless of his own injuries, his sole focus was to overpower the man in front of him.
Ying Feng didn’t understand why Ling Xiao was behaving like this, but every time those sharp fangs approached, his heart’s fear intensified. He was determined to prevent Ling Xiao’s intentions and fought back without hesitation.
Thus, both received and dealt several punches, panting heavily from their intense struggle. Their fighting was crude and primitive, like two barbarians who didn’t know how to fight at all, brutally attacking each other without care for appearances. Their uniforms, already stained with dirt and blood, worsened.
If someone were there, they would never recognize them as the outstanding fledglings from the tenth grade at Bikong. They might mistake them for two mad dogs fighting over territory.
With a swift move, Ying Feng gained the upper hand, pinning Ling Xiao beneath him. Without hesitation, he punched Ling Xiao’s face, trying to snap him out of his chaotic state.
“Have you lost your mind?” To Ying Feng, Ling Xiao seemed like an irrational madman.
Ling Xiao, seemingly numb to pain, took the punch without even attempting to block. Then, using his strength, he reversed their positions and landed a heavy punch on Ying Feng’s cheek.
Ying Feng tasted blood in his mouth, making his anger surge. The Kui failed to kill them, but now they were brutally fighting each other, with Ling Xiao looking like he wanted Ying Feng dead.
It was unclear whether it was the lingering effects of the ember or the fact that Ying Feng had just gone through a series of ordeals, but his physical strength was far from its peak. Ling Xiao, whether in terms of attack power or speed, seemed to be much stronger than usual.
During training or practice, Ying Feng could clearly match Ling Xiao and even take the lead in some moves. However, at this moment, he was clearly at a disadvantage. There were several times when he was almost completely overwhelmed by the other. If not for his heightened instincts, he would have been no match for Ling Xiao.
After dozens of exchanges, Ying Feng realized he wasn’t dealing with a regular human. The ferocity in Ling Xiao’s eyes and the growls emanating from deep within resembled that of the Kui, a beast—devoid of reason, fear, or pain. He was like a wild animal, a machine, or perhaps just a tangible thought.
And that thought was to ruthlessly plunge his fangs into Ying Feng’s chest.
“Have you awakened?” Ying Feng, once again pinned down, finally realized.
With a terrifying growl, Ling Xiao held Ying Feng firmly beneath him, his fangs getting closer, about to pierce into Ying Feng’s chest…
…..
Another violent shake. The rescuers had to steady themselves against the wall to avoid falling.
“Listen!” Fu Yao suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone strained their ears. From an unknown direction, a muffled rumbling sound echoed. As the noise faded, everything went quiet again. Occasionally, restless sand and stones would fall, their impacts creating a stark silence. The scene was like a grand performance suddenly halted, leaving the audience clueless about what had just transpired.
“The fluctuations… seem to have ended?” The instructor murmured softly.
What happened?
Everyone felt an internal alarm. Calm often signaled greater danger. If there really were legendary creatures lurking, with their fledgling abilities, they would stand no chance against them. If the creature’s power had vanished, the most likely scenario was a severe cave-in deep within, burying all living beings.
This would be the worst possible outcome. The loss of even one fledgling would be a severe tragedy for their race. If more than one were lost, it would be a disaster.
The principal’s and the major’s faces changed simultaneously. Without a word, both threw a crystal into their hands. The crystal disappeared, and their palms emitted a white light.
Both placed their palms on a massive stone to the right. Miraculously, the solid rock began to melt like ice. Each carved out a hole on the rock’s surface.
Watching anxiously, the instructor knew that generating such high heat to melt anything would also rebound upon the user, burning them. Not every Tianxiu person could master this kind of self-damaging technique.
Only this slow erosion wouldn’t risk another collapse. The two quickly exhausted their energy, and only a thin layer of rock remained.
The principal’s and the major’s right hands drooped down. The instructor knew that their hands couldn’t be used again until they received adequate treatment.
Others rushed to help, carefully chiseling out an opening in the rock face. A tense fledgling appeared behind the stone wall. He sat on the ground, tightly holding a dagger, warily and fearfully eyeing everyone.
It was the fledgling from Team A, the one who could barely hold a dagger. The instructor’s anxiety eased a bit. Regardless of how fragile the student appeared, he never wanted harm to come to them.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s me,” the principal said, extending his usable left hand to Zhu Yue. “I’m your principal. Give me the weapon.”
Slowly recognizing the voices, Zhu Yue, overwhelmed by fear, let the dagger clang to the ground.
“Are two other students trapped here? Have you seen them?” The principal asked after Zhu Yue was helped up.
“Others?” Zhu Yue’s eyes flickered in confusion, thinking that with their abilities, others could have easily escaped, leaving only him trapped. “Who?”
“One is Ling Xiao from Team B, and the other is Ying Feng from your group. Did you see them?” The instructor interjected quickly.
Zhu Yue’s eyes widened in shock. “Ying Feng is also missing?”
His reaction clearly answered the principal’s question. Seeing that Zhu Yue also didn’t know the whereabouts of the two, everyone present exchanged somber glances, their hopes sinking once again.
……
Ling Xiao’s fangs drew nearer. Realizing his intentions, Ying Feng understood his erratic behavior.
Using all his strength, Ying Feng thrust Ling Xiao aside, desperate to escape the suffocating cave. It seemed Ling Xiao, due to the aftereffects of the Embers, couldn’t control himself. However, Ying Feng didn’t want to be dragged into some bizarre coming-of-age ceremony.
As Ling Xiao attacked again, Ying Feng’s latent power erupted, launching a furious counterattack. He needed to subdue Ling Xiao quickly to prevent this absurd accident.
The two wrestled and rolled on the ground. Seizing an opportunity, Ying Feng choked Ling Xiao with one hand and pummeled him with the other, targeting his weakest spots.
Ling Xiao, already severely injured from the earlier fight with the Kui and only propped up by the Ember’s effects, temporarily lost his ability to fight back after this onslaught.
Knowing Ling Xiao would recover soon and unable to find any substitutes in the cave, Ying Feng bit the bullet. Tearing off Ling Xiao’s already tattered clothes, he firmly bound his wrists together.
After doing all of this, Ying Feng heavily sat by the wall, with his disordered breathing and rapid heartbeat, reminding him of a terrible fact.
The abnormal physical reaction was not only due to the intense physical exertion. Another hidden reason slowly emerged and even began to dominate. The warning from Yao Tai only resonated in his ears now:
—Remember, although this suppressant can suppress your bodily reactions, you still need to be careful not to get too close to those who are awakening. Otherwise, the hormone secretion in their body may also affect you, indirectly causing the drug to lose its effect.
How could Ying Feng know that in the past week he had been interacting too closely with someone who was pre-awakened but unaware of it in the medical building, training hall, and field practice? Frequent physical contact caused the suppressant in his body to fail multiple times, and even the last shot given by Yao Tai had become useless.
After the recent confrontation, Ling Xiao’s out-of-control hormone levels further triggered hormonal chaos in Ying Feng. Heavily influenced by Ling Xiao, Ying Feng could no longer control his physiological reactions.
At the other end of the narrow space, Ling Xiao struggled desperately, madly trying to break free from the shackles on his wrists. It was only a matter of time before he broke free from this rudimentary restraint. At this crucial moment, Ying Feng suddenly remembered the emergency suppressant spray given by Yao Tai.
He immediately checked the spray in his pocket. Even though the terminal screen had been shattered by the Kui’s violent attack, the bottle miraculously remained intact, which was a stroke of good luck.
Without hesitation, Ying Feng pressed the nozzle near his mouth and nose and took a few deep breaths. Numerous tiny liquid particles flowed with the air into his nostrils, trachea, and lungs, rapidly combining with his cells and starting to work.
The psychological comfort temporarily calmed him down. Ying Feng closed his eyes to recover, trying to regain his usual calm during this rare break. But the time was too short—so short that he hadn’t noticed the abnormality of the drug before being drawn into a new round of struggle.
The sudden gust in front alerted Ying Feng, and he swiftly dodged to the side, evading an attack from Ling Xiao.
The punch went deep into the wall, with dozens of stones rolling down. Some, with high speed, splashed out. One hit the medicine bottle in Ying Feng’s hand, shattering its hard shell.
The liquid inside quickly evaporated, filling the space with a colorless and odorless gas. The substance mistakenly placed by Zhu Yue, which could cause a hormonal imbalance in humans, infiltrated the bodies of the two, who were already out of control or close to it.
Ying Feng finally let out a low growl, no longer passively counterattacking but actively launching a fierce assault on Ling Xiao. His strength and speed were both much greater than usual, and the gap between him and Ling Xiao was gradually closing, even reversing. Ling Xiao’s more severe injuries meant that Ying Feng slowly took the upper hand.
In their inevitable contact, their body temperatures kept rising. The boiling blood burned their reason, and their defenseless offense turned this fight into a slaughter.
More terrifying than a Tianxiu person were two out-of-control Tianxiu people. They recklessly tangled and fought in the collapsing mine, with falling stones and dirt showering on them, covering the Kui’s corpse with a thick layer.
Ying Feng’s last memory was of conquering the person in front of him at all costs. He used all his strength to knock him down, pounced, pinned his limbs, and bared his sharp fangs.
The moment the fangs pierced Ling Xiao’s chest, he still struggled hard, but soon, his resistance weakened, and as his blood was drained little by little, his hand hanging in the air weakly fell.
In his unfocused pupils, it was as if someone had extracted the black pigment little by little with a needle, leaving only a shallow gray behind.
The extracted black was then poured back into Ying Feng’s eyes in the same way, deepening until it became bottomless black.
There were no arrow horses this time, and they had no time to take any detours. The members of the Kushan Sect, after discussing for half a day, decided to travel with the Sun Clan’s medicinal herb convoy.
With Sun Huaijin around, they didn’t need to worry much. Despite Elder Sun’s somewhat dazed appearance, he was as efficient as ever. The five of them divided into three carriages, with plenty to eat and drink. The carriage was filled with medicinal herbs, which exuded a pleasant aroma.
“Since Sister Shen is a woman, it’s convenient for her to sit alone. This carriage is quite big; the four of us can squeeze into one. It’s better this way—”
Yan Qing hadn’t finished speaking when he was silenced and dragged back by Su Si. “What do you mean ‘big’? Look how many herbs are packed inside. The Sect Master even brought a pile of books. There’s no room for you. Come on, let’s take another carriage.”
Yan Qing looked at Su Si puzzledly but eventually didn’t argue and obediently boarded the carriage.
Since medicinal herbs were fragile, the Sun Clan’s carriages had wheel covers made of bamboo, which were even more stable than ordinary carriages. As usual, Yin Ci gave Sun Huaijin some instructions. As soon as he entered the carriage, he was almost startled by the scene inside.
In a short while, Shi Jingzhi managed to create a makeshift nest using the herbs inside the carriage. From the outside, one would only see herbs, but inside, everything was orderly. There was a place to lie down and sit, and even a small gap left to look outside. Beside Shi Jingzhi was a precarious pile of books on one side and a pile of food containers on the other. He sat atop a bag of herbs, looking as if he was sitting on a throne.
Seeing Yin Ci coming in, Shi Jingzhi quickly shifted to make room on the “throne”, offering the side with the food containers to Yin Ci.
Yin Ci chuckled. “This kingdom of herbs, this disciple rather not share.”
However, he still sat next to Shi Jingzhi. Yin Ci glanced at the pile of books and found various versions of Sun Wang’s biography and about ten volumes of “Great Yun’s History”. Shi Jingzhi seemed to have returned to his bookish state from the Northlands, only this time he was reading history.
But this time, Sect Master Shi remembered to negotiate. “A’Ci, let me lean on you first, and then you can lean on me later.”
Before long, Yin Ci faced his second historical review. Shi Jingzhi rested his head on Yin Ci’s lap and held a book in front of him. “The journey is long. Let’s go over each battle from the founding period, shall we?”
Yin Ci looked down and saw a pair of smiling eyes above the book. Just as he was about to touch them, Shi Jingzhi ducked his head behind the book. “Let’s start with the earliest ‘Puzhong Rebellion’—”
The carriage was packed with herbs and books. Sunlight streamed in from the gaps. Although Yin Ci usually disliked cramped spaces, the aroma of the herbs put him at ease. The warmth on his thigh felt incredibly comforting. A golden beam of light glided over the cover of “Great Yun’s History”, making the floating dust sparkle.
Yin Ci took a deep breath, letting the warm, herb-infused air fill his lungs. Then, smiling, he leaned down, his lips brushing the rough spine of the book. “Go on, ask.”
Yin Ci hated reminiscing, especially about the ambiguous past. Even though he’d seen many delusions, every delusion had the same ending—he must have been betrayed, leading him to a state of despair.
In a way, Yin Ci’s situation was the opposite of Shi Jingzhi’s. He might not have lost any memories, but the fragments of his daydreams, colorful as bubbles, obscured the truth behind a mist. Each time Yin Ci tried to discern reality, the vast darkness would engulf him again.
However, in this ordinary moment, the darkness didn’t return.
Yin Ci played with Shi Jingzhi’s fingertips, staring at a clean, rounded fingernail. He spoke distractedly, and more blurred, uncertain “memories” emerged.
[I’ve collected so many beautiful stones. Cuicui will surely love them.] A handsome man in the yellow sand appeared, beaming. [Unfortunately, there’s nothing here but sand. When we go south to fight, I can also buy some jewelry to bring back.]
[Brother Sun brings back some sand, and your wife will love it too!] The soldiers beside him laughed. [Every time Brother Sun goes out, he picks up gifts. Your wife is so blessed—]
“Brother Sun” wasn’t laughing. [What blessing? Fighting every day, how can that be a blessing? My second child can recite the Three Character Classic* yet doesn’t even know what his father looks like. I’ve promised your sister-in-law that once the world is at peace, I’ll hang up my armor, return to the fields, and go to the countryside to live a simple life with her—that’s a true blessing.]
*A classic Chinese text that was written in the 13th century.
[With you and Imperial Preceptor He, peace will come sooner or later. Brother, after the war is over, will you leave the army? Isn’t it good to be an official?]
“Brother Sun” heaved a sigh. [I can’t recognize many characters, and when leading soldiers, I can only follow orders. When it comes to being an official, I have to rely on my dear brother… My brother is young and talented, without family encumbrances. He’s the ideal candidate for officialdom!]
He rubbed the beautiful stone in his hand and turned around. [But I wonder where we could find a woman worthy of my brother. Fortunately, Brother Xu is the one who worries about arranging a marriage. In my opinion, with your face, you should marry the most beautiful woman in the world—]
“A’Ci?” Shi Jingzhi’s voice seemed distant and muffled. “A’Ci, what happened?”
The howling sound of wind and sand by Yin Ci’s ear gradually faded, his gaze slightly scattered. “Hmm?”
“…You stopped answering when I asked about the second major conflict of the ‘Battle of Shafu’.” Shi Jingzhi frowned slightly, stretching his arm to rub Yin Ci’s forehead. “You suddenly stopped responding.”
“Hmm.” Yin Ci rubbed his temples, feeling as if his insides had been frozen. “I was just distracted for a moment.”
“To be honest, I always feel you have some connection with Sun Wang.” Shi Jingzhi stood up and massaged Yin Ci’s acupoints on his head. “After all the games we’ve played, your commanding spirit is not something that can be cultivated from trivial skirmishes.”
“You just find me pleasing to the eye.”
“I’m not blinded by love; it’s called seeing clearly from an outside perspective.” Shi Jingzhi pulled on Yin Ci’s long hair. “I’m also somewhat of a veteran; I wouldn’t be mistaken.”
Yin Ci gave him a sidelong glance. “Somewhat of a veteran?”
Shi Jingzhi tilted Yin Ci’s head back. “From the time I was sensible, my elder brother taught me military tactics and strategies using the sand table. Before I left the palace, Great Yun consulted me for every battle. Saying ‘somewhat’ is just my modesty, understand?”
He still couldn’t let go of the fact that he was once defeated by this person.
“The Emperor really made good use of the ‘Children of Desire’.”
“Indeed… Wait, don’t change the topic.”
Yin Ci was more forthcoming. “I do have vivid impressions related to Sun Wang, but he’s unnamed in history, and the mansion mentioned doesn’t exist. Maybe I was one of his subordinates, which led to such a vivid fantasy.”
Shi Jingzhi looked at Yin Ci quietly for a while. Surprisingly, instead of probing further, he gently kissed the side of Yin Ci’s neck.
“Mm, once we find out what the Immortal Assembly is up to, we’ll know in due time.” Shi Jingzhi rested his chin on Yin Ci’s shoulder, speaking in a calm and matter-of-fact tone.
Yin Ci was silent, thinking Shi Jingzhi would probe deeper. Instead, Shi Jingzhi casually flipped through his books.
Sun Huaijin had influence everywhere. Along the way, they weren’t detected by officials or other martial masters. Except for the cramped carriage, Yin Ci had never felt so at ease.
They were half a day away from Shafu when Shi Jingzhi finished his last book. He stuck to his disciple excitedly. “A’Ci, Shafu can be considered your territory. If things don’t work out, you—”
Before he could finish, everything suddenly spun. Ancient books scattered everywhere, the medicine Shi Jingzhi painstakingly collected was ruined, and even the Medicine Cures Illness flag was almost broken.
“There’s no sign of intruders. The carriage got caught.” Yin Ci protected Shi Jingzhi’s neck, speaking coldly. “A trick of the sand bandits.”
Subconsciously, Shi Jingzhi placed the flag in front of them, then put it away upon hearing this. “…The sand bandits have reached here?”
Sun Huaijin was as slippery as an eel. For his business caravan to be robbed now meant that the surroundings of Shafu had become chaotic.
“A few days ago, Elder Bao of the Ling Sect was killed. His Shafu branch lost its leader, so some disorder is expected,” Yin Ci whispered. “Many of his subordinates are sand bandits, not necessarily loyal to the Yan bloodline.”
With the death of Bao Zu, the sand bandits, who were once loosely controlled by the Chigou Sect, now acted freely and chaotically.
The trained coachmen of the Sun Clan weren’t alarmed but tried to placate the bandits with money. However, the bandits didn’t care. Before the coachmen could react, they were beheaded.
“There are people in the medicine cart!” Several voices shouted.
Yan Qing had already raised the Sword of Compassion wrapped in cloth, standing in front of Shen Zhu. Su Si also drew his butcher knife, his amorous almond eyes darting around. Thanks to the sudden collapse of Sect Master Shi’s medicine nest, the disciple and master of the Kushan sect were covered by the herbs and could only watch the scene unfold.
After their ordeal at Zongwu Mountain, if these two servants couldn’t handle a few sand bandits, they might as well be expelled on the spot.
“Heh, I’ve seen couples elope before, but this is the first time I’ve seen a trio. Quite interesting, huh?” The leading bandit, belly sticking out, flashed a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Using Elder Sun’s carriage, you must be wealthy.”
Su Si responded with confidence, “Among the three of us, one is a servant. Can you guess which two are eloping?”
The bandit was momentarily stunned. Su Si chuckled and was about to strike his throat. However, before he could step forward, a sudden blow from a long stick hit right on the nerve of Su Si’s wrist. He clicked his tongue and spun the butcher knife in his hand, preparing to strike again when—
“I’ll handle these few.” A cold, feminine voice spoke up. “The rest of you, go collect the herbs.”
“Yes, yes, as the young lady says.” The leader left with a smirk.
They all recognized this voice. Su Si’s blade halted mid-air, and the expressions of everyone from the Kushan sect froze in unison.
Shi Jingzhi opened the herb bag in alarm and looked closely. The speaker was dressed in shabby sand bandit attire with a cheap iron sword hanging from her waist and her long hair tied into a high ponytail. Though her face was covered with wind-blown sand, her features remained clear—
It was unmistakably Shi Zhongyu.
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Shi Zhongyu: ? Wherever there’s trouble, you guys seem to be there.
After settling matters with Sun Huaijin, Yin Ci walked back to his room through the corridor pavilion. The moonlight was elegant, and the night breeze was mild. On a nearby roof, two figures could be glimpsed, along with a swaying big goose. Yin Ci paused to watch for a moment before heading toward Shi Jingzhi’s room.
Now that everything was out in the open, he didn’t feel the need to put on a facade for Sun Huaijin. Even though the Sun Mansion always kept the lights on in the dark, Yin Ci was no longer accustomed to spending the long nights alone.
However, his attempt to find Shi Jingzhi proved futile—Shi Jingzhi’s room was dark and empty, and even his pillow and luggage were missing. With Sect Master Shi’s audacity, it wasn’t surprising to think they’d ended up in the same place again.
Pretending like nothing happened, Yin Ci took a detour and returned to his own room. As expected, Shi Jingzhi was leaning against the bedhead, almost dozing off. The candlewick hadn’t been trimmed for a while, casting a warm glow on Shi Jingzhi’s long hair. Silently, Yin Ci approached him. Without even opening his eyes, Shi Jingzhi snuggled up against him.
“Mm, you’re back,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around Yin Ci’s waist. “What did the old man say?”
“We’ve set a date. I’ll personally propose.” Yin Ci chuckled, patting his back. “Move over and make some room for me.”
Shi Jingzhi suddenly perked up. “Are you serious?”
Yin Ci: “……” The reactions of the old and the young were really two extremes.
“Yes,” Yin Ci said helplessly. “We’ll watch the lanterns first and choose a good day for the wedding. I’ll bring my servants, invite Sun Huaijin, and you can decide how you want it to be, alright?”
“I better make sure to live until then,” Shi Jingzhi said with a mix of jest and melancholy.
Yin Ci’s brows furrowed. “You smell of blood. Did you cough up blood again?”
“It’s the same as before, nothing serious.”
Yin Ci’s expression didn’t look too good. He took Shi Jingzhi’s pulse for a while. The pulse was the same as when they first met—despite Shi Jingzhi’s martial arts getting increasingly refined and his magic learned meticulously, the state of his health had not improved but was deteriorating step by step.
Initially, Yin Ci didn’t take it seriously. But now, he felt as if there were burning coals in his heart, causing a scorching pain. With the Shirou close at hand, it was like a miracle that Shi Jingzhi still decided to investigate the Immortal Assembly.
“The first time I met Sun Huaijin, all I could think about was how to use him. Tonight, he displayed the full demeanor of an elder, and I felt a little happy.”
Seemingly sensing Yin Ci’s concerns, as soon as he settled down, Shi Jingzhi embraced him from behind. Several bursts of vital qi flowed out with Shi Jingzhi’s movements, causing the flickering candlelight in the room to extinguish, leaving only moonlight.
Sect Master Shi spoke in a languid tone, heavy with drowsiness, yet it sounded oddly sincere.
“To be honest, I want to stay here for a few more days.” Shi Jingzhi buried his face in Yin Ci’s long hair. “Having friends who have shared hardships, a blood-related elder, and a loved one by my side… since the day we parted in Juyi Valley, I’ve never felt this content.”
Yin Ci gripped the hand that Shi Jingzhi used to embrace him.
That hand was warm and strong, and the embrace from behind was incredibly comforting. Yin Ci traced Shi Jingzhi’s fingers, slowly opening them and turning around. “You’re easily content.”
Since witnessing his “true body”, the two had truly understood each other, and Yin Ci never teased Shi Jingzhi ruthlessly again. But now, hearing Shi Jingzhi’s coquettish words, a bitter taste welled up in his heart, and he wanted to divert his thoughts.
The moonlight was just right, perfect for intimacy.
But just as he turned to face Shi Jingzhi, Shi Jingzhi seriously asked, “A’Ci, do you remember the ‘Battle of Shafu’?”
Yin Ci, feeling somewhat disrespected, paused with his hand under the blanket, then slowly retracted it. “…What?”
“The Battle of Shafu, the most famous battle during the founding of the country against the western rebels. The Qituo people were also involved, and the battlefront stretched far. It was all thanks to General Sun Wang that the tide was turned.”
Yin Ci wondered why their intimate night talk turned into a history lesson. He calmly replied, “The main branch of the Chigou Sect is in Shafu. I was the Patriarch of the Chigou Sect for so long; if I didn’t know, I should.”
“When was the Battle of Shafu?”
This really felt like a test. Yin Ci found the development of the night increasingly strange. “May… no, June, I think.”
Shi Jingzhi said meaningfully, “Why would your first reaction be ‘May’? Every book records the Battle of Shafu in June. You’re immortal. Did you witness that battle?”
“I must have remembered wrongly. As for the battle, I probably didn’t see it. It was just a slip of the tongue in the middle of the night.” Indeed, whether it was folk tales or written records, the Battle of Shafu took place in June. However, “May” was the answer that slipped out before he realized it.
Living for so long had its drawbacks; everything seemed familiar, and memories blurred between reality and imagination. One thing led to another, and Yin Ci lost all interest in flirting. He lay down flat.
But Sect Master Shi didn’t give up. “During the mid-June Battle of Twin Rivers, Sun Wang led troops in the Twin Rivers. Shafu and Twin Rivers are quite far apart. Did Sun Wang travel back and forth using arrow horses?”
“Maybe there’s an error in the records. There were major and minor battles every day during the founding of the nation. It’s normal for the dates to be inaccurate after 300 years,” Yin Ci calmly said. “I know what you want to investigate. My knowledge of leading troops mostly comes from my time as a Patriarch. Not just leading troops, I also embroider quite well. Shizun, do you want to investigate the embroidery shops during the founding era?”
Shi Jingzhi had never been one to yield to anyone’s domineering aura. He propped himself up, maintaining eye contact with Yin Ci. “It seems you don’t like discussing leading troops into battle.”
“I have looked into it myself, to no avail. Let’s talk about the rest tomorrow. Let’s sleep for now.”
Countless illusions, especially those regarding “leading troops”, ended in inexplicable despair. Once the truth about the Immortal Assembly was uncovered, everything would have an answer. There was no need to rush things.
Suddenly, the face of the fox spirit drew closer. “I just found a book—”
The kid isn’t done yet.
Yin Ci took a deep breath, pushing Shi Jingzhi to the side, then hugged him tightly as if in warning. “Save your trivial matters for our journey to Shafu. You’ve just coughed up a lot of blood, so it’s better you rest…”
As he embraced him, he realized something had changed with Shi Jingzhi’s body, a detail that didn’t escape Yin Ci’s notice.
Yin Ci: “…”
People often say that a moment of romantic intimacy is invaluable. However, in Sect Master Shi’s case, he babbled on about the history of the country. No wonder he kept talking incessantly, probably to mask his nervousness.
Yin Ci couldn’t help but smile and teasingly bit Shi Jingzhi’s ear. “So, Shizun is this nervous? You once mentioned marriage, but now you’re retracting?”
Discussing history was better than biting fingers; this boy had improved significantly.
“The Purifying Words can control desires, but the current situation is even more taxing than my lifelong desires. I’m afraid I can’t control myself, and it won’t be a pretty sight,” Shi Jingzhi earnestly replied.
Yin Ci shook his head, undid Shi Jingzhi’s hairband, and his long hair cascaded down. As the faint scent of medicine filled the air, Yin Ci said, “Why think so much? You can touch me. You’d have to be very skilled if you lost control and hurt me—”
Thump, thump, thump.
Just then, the sound of a cane knocking on the ground could be heard from outside, indicating the anxious pacing of an old man.
…Perhaps it was indeed an agitated old man lingering outside.
Sun Huaijin might not have any ill intentions. Having lived for over a hundred years, he probably couldn’t fathom the audacity of the two. Distressed, he paced back and forth in the corridor.
The sound of the cane tapping on the ground was like the beat of a wooden fish, instantly dissipating the budding romantic thoughts of the two. Their feelings vanished like smoke in a temple, and they didn’t have the audacity to intentionally scare the old man. Even though Yin Ci had no more taboos, he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate to someone younger, especially not in someone else’s home and in front of them. For the second time, he slowly withdrew his hand, his heart as calm as an ancient well. Shi Jingzhi wrapped himself in a blanket, resembling a lifeless silkworm cocoon.
The continuous sound lingered. The two exchanged a dejected look, then decided to dress up and sleep as usual.
On Shen Zhu’s return the next day, the Kushan Sect was ready to set off.
Shen Zhu brought back definitive news. Through some indirect sources, she had secretly examined the remains of the Yan Clan’s servant. The so-called “birth mother” of Yan Budu had never given birth. The local rumors in Qizhou were all verified—Yan Budu might be the royal bloodline that was swapped out.
“It is rumored that someone told the Yan woman who entered the palace that her son was unique and wouldn’t end well if he stayed there. So, she bribed the maids and servants to swap out her living son with a dead infant,” Shen Zhu mused. “But there’s no solid evidence; those involved in the palace at the time covered it up neatly.”
Who knew that this royal blood would spread so rapidly?
A long distance away.
“…Yan Budu is of royal descent.” Someone sighed softly. “With the support of the imperial court, it was no wonder our sect wanted to exterminate them thoroughly, regardless of innocence.”
Shi Zhongyu gripped the Reverse Yang Token in her hand.
On the back of the Reverse Yang Token was a small mechanism. On the outer cover, it was engraved with the words “Know Shame, Then Courage”. Inside the lid, text was inscribed in a minuscule script, so fine that one had to look very closely to read it. Rather than saying it contained the secrets of Taiheng, it was more accurate to say it held the most regretful and guilty secrets of the high-ranking members of Taiheng through generations.
“Miss, your carriage is ready. You’re dressed so lavishly, are you sure you want to ride in our carriage? It’s quite bumpy. Perhaps you’d prefer to rent a more comfortable one upfront?” the driver said.
Dressed more like a merchant’s daughter than a martial warrior, Shi Zhongyu smiled at the coachman. “Your carriage is the fastest to Shafu, right? I’m in a hurry to get home. Thank you for your trouble.”
The coachman hesitated and then said, “Miss, the northwest has been quite unstable lately. It might be best to stay in Yidu for a couple more months. I worry for you traveling alone, especially with the demonic sects about.”
“Don’t worry,” Shi Zhongyu replied.
She climbed into the carriage, gently pulling down the curtain.
The Taiheng Sect’s caravan to Shafu was soon on its way, using the fastest carriages on the smoothest commercial roads. Only such a light and efficient caravan could keep up.
“…In the end, we don’t know if we’ll encounter the ‘demonic sect’ or the ‘righteous path’.”
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Sun Huaijin’s revenge (×
Shocking! The master and disciple of the Kushan Sect failed to get in the car*. How could this happen!
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