On the paper was the password Lin Chen copied down. The blue ink of the ballpoint pen shimmered as if it wanted to emit light under the sun.
Wang Chao shivered, took a deep breath, and opened the crude pop-up window again. He slowly entered the characters one by one.
When he reached the end, a rare solemn expression appeared on the teenager’s face. He moved the mouse to the confirm button and asked them again, “Should I confirm?”
Outside the window, the warm sun bathed everything in tranquility.
Xing Conglian looked at the countdown, still 6 minutes remaining.
He nodded and set a countdown on his watch.
With a crisp click, the sound of pressing the mouse button suddenly rang out.
Wang Chao turned the screen towards them, wanting them to watch together. But at that moment, the progress bar instantly reached the bottom, and the page surged out like a waterfall in a frenzy. Wang Chao no longer paid attention to them. He quickly turned back to the screen, his expression becoming tense as his hands quickly tapped the keyboard to process the data.
Thinking of the glimpse of the scene just now, Xing Conglian and Lin Chen exchanged a glance and stood up unconsciously. They walked around the long table from both sides and stood behind Wang Chao.
Looking over the top of the teenager’s head, they finally realized why they had the illusion of seeing a deluge of torrents when they saw the webpage just now.
It was an endless stream of gold coins pouring down like waves, surging and billowing with an incredibly evil and crazed aura, continuously accumulating below the screen.
The sound effect of the coins descending from the sky echoed in the journal reading room, sending shivers down people’s spines.
But to be precise, it was a data stream that was made to look like gold coins, with a pixelated quality similar to those found in the oldest game consoles. Each pixel particle was so large that it instantly made people feel like they were back in the 90s. Moreover, the waterfall of gold coins was made into a three-dimensional appearance, twisting and turning like a Mobius strip or some other weirdly symmetrical figure, making the sturdy screen seem to twist in space.
Xing Conglian finally understood what it meant to be old-school and have special taste.
Suddenly, Wang Chao leaned back in his chair, stopped all his work, and angrily slapped the table. He turned off the computer’s volume abruptly and shook his head at them. “Untraceable.”
5 minutes and 20 seconds remaining.
At this moment, Lin Chen suddenly leaned forward, pointing his finger at the bottom of the screen, and asked, “What’s this?”
Xing Conglian narrowed his eyes, only to see that not all the coins that descended from the sky fell into the abyss. Instead, they transformed into another form, like rain falling into a black ocean on a stormy night, floating and sinking below the screen.
Following Lin Chen’s indication, Wang Chao moved the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen.
Just as the white arrow touched the edge of the ocean, the “ocean” instantly surged backward, sweeping the coins from bottom to top, and spread horizontally like a scroll on the screen.
The technical level of this website was clearly not as crude as its pixelated appearance suggested.
It was a map—a topographic map of the three provinces surrounding Hongjing that they were familiar with.
“What the hell!”
Wang Chao almost wanted to press his face against the screen. He dared not touch the screen with the mouse but used his hand to trace the waves on the map. “What’s this? A gold coin map?”
Xing Conglian didn’t say a word but took out his phone and pulled up a 3D topographic map for comparison next to the laptop screen.
The raised peaks, the sunken rivers, and the urban areas reclaimed due to industrial modernization…
The topographic map of the three provinces on the phone didn’t match the undulating waves on the computer screen but presented a completely opposite trend.
“What’s going on?” Wang Chao murmured. “Are they showing off special effects?”
Lin Chen’s face turned serious. He pointed to several high peaks in the waves and said, “Are these cities?”
Xing Conglian zoomed in and compared the satellite map on his phone before saying, “Yes, Yongchuan, Hongjing, Fengchun, Meicun, Shifang…”
As he mentioned each city’s name, he confirmed it by pointing at the screen with his finger, and his tone grew colder.
All the cities represented not only cold geographical features but also the real people living in those cities.
Wang Chao took a deep breath, unable to help but say, “Damn, are these all the major cities around us? What does this mean?”
“I’m afraid they are putting a price on us,” Lin Chen said.
“They” referred to the lunatics on the dark web, and “us” naturally meant the ordinary people living in the real world. Xing Conglian’s heart trembled, and his first reaction was to look at the countdown on his watch.
4 minutes and 40 seconds remaining.
“A price? I don’t understand.” Wang Chao moved the mouse pointer to a certain high peak in the “gold coin waves” and clicked lightly. Indeed, a small window popped up without any prompt. “Do I need to enter an amount here?” He asked.
Xing Conglian bent down and faced the continuously surging gold coin ocean on the computer screen. He didn’t have time to explain to Wang Chao but asked, “Can you determine where the highest point is?”
Wang Chao looked puzzled, but without hesitation, he copied the scroll on the screen and overlaid it on a geographical satellite image.
The two images on the screen gradually overlapped, and all the wave peaks fit perfectly with the centers of each city, including the highest peak, undoubtedly located in the cosmopolitan city—Yongchuan.
“Try entering 1 bitcoin into the pop-up window,” Xing Conglian said.
After hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly stopped him. He quickly understood the meaning of Lin Chen’s gaze, which meant not to act impulsively.
He said, “I just wanted to confirm your speculation, and I’m not foolish enough to let the mastermind profit from it.”
Lin Chen readily let go, and then patted Wang Chao’s shoulder, giving him the go-ahead.
Wang Chao had never done such a thing before and nervously entered the payment like an old lady using electronic payment for the first time.
With four minutes remaining, a tiny gold coin descended from the sky, like an inconspicuous water droplet, falling into the “peak” area he had clicked. Because it was so small, it couldn’t even produce ripples. But this did prove that the entire sea of gold coins was indeed a huge market. On the dark web, countless people were betting money on the “favorite” cities.
Thinking of this, Xing Conglian saw a wave of bets represented by the peak in Meicun surging, and he didn’t know which crazy player was spending a fortune on Meicun, which was next to Yongchuan.
In a short period, the wave rose like a sudden high peak, and the “sea level” centered around Meicun rapidly surpassed Yongchuan after a few seconds.
Lin Chen’s guess was indeed accurate, but Xing Conglian couldn’t feel the slightest joy.
What they saw was just a completely virtual betting image. In fact, it represented billions of real funds being poured into this crazy auction, ready to use money to wash away something.
Wang Chao was unusually biting his thumb joint. “Damn, did I succeed? They actually treat cities as auction items. This is so crazy?!” Wang Chao muttered nervously. “Now Meicun has the highest bid. What will happen in Meicun?”
“They are not treating cities as auction items but rather treating the lives of people in the cities as commodities,” Lin Chen said. “The highest bidder wins, and the city where the lives are most valuable is the one they will harvest.”
“Harvest? What do you mean by harvest?” Wang Chao stared at them with wide eyes and then realized that he had asked an extremely foolish question.
Lunatics, money, the dark web, and that kind of neurotic drug—there could not be a worse combination in the world.
Xing Conglian quickly dialed the number for the detention center. “Strictly guard Shen Lian. No visits allowed, including all levels of police officers!”
After hanging up the call, Xing Conglian immediately dialed the phone number of the Meicun Municipal Police Bureau. He asked Wang Chao to package the dark web address, internet tools, passwords, and other related items and send them over.
As he finished all this, the time ran out.
At the moment of resetting, it was as if someone had applied an ice-cold effect to the tide of gold coins. The surging waves solidified from one corner to another, covered in darkness, bringing an eerie silence.
Of course, the wave representing Meicun’s highest point was an exception.
The entire Meicun, including the surrounding towns and areas, was marked in red. Xing Conglian roughly estimated that it covered an area of exactly 4,126 square kilometers.
No mocking or provocative icons appeared. The sound effect stopped, and the screen displayed only a white banner from the upper left corner to the lower right corner, with the words: TO BE CONTINUED…
The last point of the ellipsis slowly appeared, and the picture came to an abrupt end.
Afterward, for a long time, Wang Chao didn’t even dare touch the keyboard with his hands.
It was only when Lin Chen moved that he finally remembered to breathe again. On the one hand, he felt that the sudden auction was too thrilling, and on the other hand, he expressed strong dissatisfaction with the abrupt ending. “This… This is it?”
Lin Chen returned to his seat under the sun, but Xing Conglian knew that the sunlight couldn’t warm him up at all.
“No.” Lin Chen uttered a single, concise syllable.
Both of them knew that this couldn’t be the end; this wasn’t even the beginning.
Long before, this game or moral test, or even the doomsday revelry of antisocial individuals, had already begun.
What Lin Chen had experienced; they would also experience together.
The reading room fell silent once again.
Xing Conglian threw his phone on the table. After making the call, the screen hadn’t lit up again. It was evident that Meicun needed a long time to verify, report, and make arrangements. Nobody knew what awaited that city.
“So what do we do now?” Wang Chao was fidgeting. “Wait for something big to happen in Meicun?”
“If I’m going to implement a major plan, there will inevitably be a loading time after the gold backers place their bets. It could be ten minutes or even ten hours, because it’s fun to watch the city police force in a state of panic and helplessness,” Lin Chen said.
“Damn it!”
As soon as Wang Chao finished saying this, his own phone rang frantically. He picked up the call, and it was a Meicun network technician on the other end.
The indifferent expression on the young man’s face disappeared in an instant. He held the phone between his cheek and shoulder and began to work and respond.
The clattering of the keyboard and the technical jargon that Xing Conglian couldn’t understand kept coming. It brought back many fragments of crazy memories; each fragment of the story seemed to be falling apart, yet there seemed to be something that could connect everything.
He asked Lin Chen only one question, “What does he want?”
Zhong Chengshuo hugged the red-eyed black cat in his arms. Meiqiu was clawing and dancing at his feet. “Turn back! You look too strange!”
“No, I have to conceal my identity.”
Right now, Love believed that the cub was Zhong Chengshuo, which was the most convenient state. Yin Ren retracted his claws and blissfully squinted his eyes. Zhong Chengshuo held him tightly in his arms, and he felt a bit drowsy.
“I’ll go get something to eat… After you guys are done, I’ll make my move,” Yin Ren said.
Meiqiu needed the protection of the tranquility charms on Zhong Chengshuo’s body. It looked at Yin Ren with some trepidation, muttering curses as it continued to observe—
The group emitted no aura, and there was no movement on the surface of the giant hemisphere. Countless arms drooped softly on the surface, and only the deep inside of the sphere emitted a slow and heavy sound.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Meiqiu carefully pried open the arms with its paw and pressed its forehead against the surface of the hemisphere, investigating something unknown.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Zhong Chengshuo tightly embraced Yin Ren, focusing his attention on the arms themselves. He would gently push aside his mask, lean closer, and sniff those dead-like arms. After sniffing, Zhong Chengshuo would bury his nose in Yin Ren’s fur and take a couple of sniffs.
He would occasionally furrow his brows, squeeze the dead flesh of the arms, and pinch the tip of Yin Ren’s tail, making a serious comparison.
Thud. Thud, Thud.
Yin Ren was sprayed with Zhong Chengshuo’s warm breath while his gaze attentively scanned the surroundings. He decided to pick out the fattest arm. When Meiqiu and Zhong Chengshuo reached the safe zone, he would snatch that section of the arm and run.
“I can also get you a sample.” Yin Ren yawned. “You two hurry up. I’m hungry.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “’Satisfaction’ will come later, and we’ll leave when it does.”
After speaking, Zhong Chengshuo hesitated for a moment and added, “Why don’t you eat ‘Satisfaction’?”
“I considered it. But it’s walking around fine, and it would be impolite for me to just go and cut a piece off,” Yin Ren said. “It never did anything to offend me, so I’ll pass.”
Zhong Chengshuo stopped in his tracks. “You’ve considered it.”
“Yes, why not?” Yin Ren flicked his tail. “After all, it’s so big and looks quite delicious.”
Zhong Chengshuo pursed his lips. He took out a small bottle from his backpack. Inside the bottle was a viscous liquid, resembling melted brain matter. The liquid swirled faintly like honey in a glass bottle, emitting a subtle silver glow.
The flesh of “Satisfaction”.
Yin Ren wasn’t surprised. This small bottle, compared to the body of “Satisfaction”, was no more than dandruff to humans.
“This is the flesh that naturally sheds from it.” Zhong Chengshuo removed the stopper and gently placed it near the black cat’s nose. “Are you sure you can eat it?”
Zhong Chengshuo’s tone was a bit strange.
Yin Ren twitched his nose. The brain-like substance in the bottle emitted a faintly fishy smell that smelled like pheasant meat soaked in spring water, with a much stronger flavor than the bland and tasteless small Elementals. It would be even tastier if it were grilled with garlic on tin foil, but unfortunately, they didn’t have the means.
Yin Ren: “Hmm, it smells edible.”
Zhong Chengshuo pursed his lips. He opened the bottle and carefully dipped his finger into it, offering a small amount to Yin Ren. Yin Ren looked at Zhong Chengshuo with a puzzled expression, and his tail stopped swaying.
“Give it a taste,” Zhong Chengshuo said softly. “In theory, it’s safe, but if it doesn’t taste good, remember to spit it out.”
Yin Ren looked at the fingertip presented before him. The brain-like gelatinous substance didn’t spread like water. It shrank like mercury and trembled on Zhong Chengshuo’s fingertip.
It would be a waste to refuse food that was served right to him.
Yin Ren curled his tongue, and the bit of flesh instantly disappeared from Zhong Chengshuo’s fingertip. The delectable and oily texture burst on Yin Ren’s taste buds, akin to the finest foie gras paired with caviar, perfectly balanced in taste.
After eating Elemental salad for so long, tears almost welled up in Yin Ren’s eyes. The lower-level Elementals tasted like bland jelly or salad, and the flavors of Joy and Disgust were just average, similar to biting into a bland pancake. Yin Ren had no particular impression of them.
Fear… The taste of Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren had no desire to savor it. He had only gulped it down without a second thought before. If it weren’t for the need to heal, Yin Ren would have no appetite for Elementals.
“Satisfaction” was unexpectedly delicious. It truly brought a satisfying taste.
After just a few bites, his wound was a little warm and recovered a thin layer.
Zhong Chengshuo looked intently at Yin Ren, and even his breathing stopped. “How is it?”
“Can I have some more? It’s delicious. My injuries are healing quickly.” Yin Ren’s eyes were moist, and he sighed. “If we abandon morality, I would indulge myself on Satisfaction. Why do humans need morality?”
In the round eyes of the cat, Zhong Chengshuo’s gradually solemn expression was reflected.
He poured the remaining flesh into his palm. “Go ahead, eat.”
“What about the samples?”
“…Eat.” Zhong Chengshuo brought his hand closer.
With its spiky tongue, it swiftly licked Zhong Chengshuo’s palm, cleaning up every bit of residue. Yin Ren licked his lips and looked eagerly at the surrounding arms.
“I will call upon the Lonelies to collect more together.” Zhong Chengshuo petted his furry lover; his palm was slightly sweaty and strange. “But remember, never attack ‘Satisfaction’.”
“Why?”
“Because ‘Fear’ doesn’t consume ‘Satisfaction’. Isn’t that obvious?”
Dr. Cat looked at the two with a displeased expression in its cat eyes.
“Back then, ‘Fear’ and ‘Satisfaction’ didn’t have sentiency. Devouring is the instinct of ‘Fear’. If Satisfaction is so delicious, Zhong Chengshuo would fight with it every day.”
“Previously, Zhong Chengshuo also tried it. Satisfaction was beyond his diet and couldn’t even help him heal his wounds. The Other Side maintains ecological stability not through a sense of morality.”
Yin Ren: “…”
Yin Ren had long known that he wasn’t a normal “Fear”. However, with only Zhong Chengshuo as a reference in the world, he was unsure how abnormal he truly was.
“I understand. If I attack Satisfaction, it will only make Love more vigilant.” Yin Ren sighed. “Don’t worry, I never planned to make a big fuss about it. But for you two—instead of my own matters, it’s better to first investigate ‘Love’ thoroughly.”
“Mm.”
The arms of “Love”, the arms of Yin Ren’s “Evil Spirit” form, waved again in front of Zhong Chengshuo.
Until they obtained definite results, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t want to make irresponsible guesses. He touched Yin Ren’s ears and remained silent.
Even when transformed into a cat, Yin Ren’s ears still bore small, delicate wounds. Zhong Chengshuo lowered his head and gently bit one of the black cat’s ear tips.
Yin Ren: “?”
“It’s nothing,” Zhong Chengshuo mumbled, throwing the empty bottle that Yin Ren had finished into his bag.
“I remember the values roughly. Let’s go,” Dr. Cat said.
According to the agreement, today was the day Zhong Chengshuo helped collect data on “Love” for him. Next, it would assist Zhong Chengshuo in analyzing Yin Ren’s data. Meiqiu licked its paw and quickly arranged the plans in its mind.
They timed it perfectly. The moment Dr. Cat finished washing its face in place, Satisfaction approached from a distance. It remained beautiful, as magnificent as the boundary between day and night, gently washing over everything on the Other Side.
It quickly reached the edge of the white network.
Dr. Cat raised its tail high, preparing to enter Satisfaction as usual and hitch a ride to leave. Zhong Chengshuo released Yin Ren and casually stroked the warm back of the cat.
Just as Yin Ren was about to rub against his lover for warmth, he suddenly felt that something was wrong—
Thump, thump, thump.
The vibrations within the hemisphere under its paws suddenly increased several times.
Thump, thump, thump.
Without Zhong Chengshuo’s protection, countless arms around Meiqiu suddenly awakened. They shot towards the cat like bullets, and one arm exerted great force, instantly piercing through Meiqiu’s abdomen.
Everything happened in an instant.
Just as the small body of the cat was about to be crushed, Yin Ren swiftly rushed forward and bit the back of Meiqiu’s neck. Ignoring the hunting arms, he headed straight towards Zhong Chengshuo.
Zhong Chengshuo quickly snapped back to reality, struggling to stabilize his body. It was as if they were in a malfunctioning washing machine inside Satisfaction; everything was spinning madly. Zhong Chengshuo held onto both cats, crouching in the depths of the unfathomable Satisfaction. Meanwhile, Yin Ren formed a layer of red veil around him, acting as a buffer against the other Elementals within Satisfaction. They collided and bumped alongside the other Elementals, providing some cushioning effect.
The abnormality within Satisfaction finally subsided after a full two minutes. By now, it had taken everyone far away from the white network. Yin Ren didn’t even bother to look at the surroundings. Just as he regained his balance, he used a flesh and blood spell to return to their base.
“Hey, why so early today?”
Fu Tianyi curiously raised his head, but his smile instantly vanished when he saw Meiqiu in Yin Ren’s arms.
“Qiu—?!”
Dr. Cat lay in Yin Ren’s arms, barely alive. Most of its soft abdomen was missing, leaving only a black-red cross-section and scattered organs. In the outside world, it would have surely perished long ago. But on the Other Side, it walked towards death at a slower pace.
Yin Ren didn’t have time to pay attention to Fu Tianyi. He gently placed Meiqiu on the ground. “Meng Huai!”
“The situation isn’t ideal.” Meng Huai’s expression shifted slightly. “The injuries and lesions aren’t severe. Its internal organs are completely missing, which is a fatal wound. Delaying treatment will only make it suffer, especially considering it’s a science post…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but the underlying message was clear to everyone.
Fu Tianyi didn’t care about the minced meat on his hands. He stumbled and rushed to Meiqiu’s side. Just a few months ago, he lost his partner, and now, he was about to lose his rear command.
“What happened?” Fu Tianyi’s eyes reddened as he looked up and stared at Yin Ren in a daze. “Didn’t it team up with Zhong Chengshuo for the mission? Didn’t it come back with you? Both of you were there; you were both there…”
Yin Ren squatted beside the black cat, expressionless. The Lonely cats crowded closer but dared not get too close, trembling as they watched.
The black cat lay limply on the ground, twitching its tail and limbs. Its bloodied wound beneath it grew larger.
Ignoring the others, Yin Ren spoke suddenly.
“Meng Huai, make some room. I’m going to treat it.”
Meng Huai remained silent, sighing and stepping back a bit to cooperate. Zhong Chengshuo, on the other hand, stood still. He alternated between looking at Yin Ren and Meiqiu lying on the ground and furrowing his eyebrows tightly.
In his judgment, Meiqiu couldn’t be saved.
But in his judgment, Yin Ren would never give up.
Sure enough, Yin Ren, regardless of exposing his identity, let his crimson robe flutter and immediately began casting a flesh and blood spell for self-healing—
The version of Elemental healing magic was ineffective.
The black cat struggled to breathe. Its tail and limbs were twitching uncontrollably, and the pool of blood beneath it grew larger.
Yin Ren still refused to give up. He began reciting various healing techniques accumulated over thousands of years. His hands were stained with blood and flesh as he quickly adjusted and formed intricate hand seals. Gentle waves of energy, like drizzling rain, created continuous ripples in the room.
The young offspring of the Lonely cats used their soft paws to play with those ripples, only to be pressed down by the older Lonelies.
Meng Huai’s gaze gradually shifted towards Yin Ren. Her admiration turned into surprise, which then transformed into astonishment. She had only known that Yin Ren had an inexplicable connection with the Elementals, but after he saved everyone’s lives, Meng Huai decided to turn a blind eye to it.
What kind of situation was this?
It was definitely not the level of evil creatures or Primordial Elementals. If the target of his treatment were a cultivator, these spells would be enough to revive the dead and return flesh and bones. Many of them were difficult and ancient, and Meng Huai found it challenging to even identify them.
Unfortunately, his patient was a cat who had no regard for humans or the divine.
…So it was still futile.
Hope in Fu Tianyi’s eyes was completely extinguished. He leaned against the wall, clenching his fists tighter and tighter.
Yin Ren pursed his lips and paused for a moment. “Zhong Chengshuo.”
“I’m here.”
“Take us to your imaginary base. Bring Fu Tianyi, Meng Huai, and Gao Mengyu’s cat as well.”
Zhong Chengshuo’s eyebrows twitched, and he glanced at Fu Tianyi without saying a word. He took off his glasses, closed his eyes, and before everyone could react, five “people” suddenly disappeared from the room.
When Meiqiu was placed on the table in the basement, it was already on the verge of death.
The pain in its abdomen was too intense. Over the course of this long time, the intense pain had turned into a cold numbness.
Dr. Cat lay on the cold tabletop and couldn’t help but recall the past. If it hadn’t accidentally come into contact with a source of corruption several years ago, it might be wandering on some road right now. It had also witnessed stray cats being run over on the street before.
That appearance probably wasn’t much different from its current state.
Dying all alone, being observed by outsiders.
Death on the Other Side was truly prolonged, akin to the human execution method of Lingchi. If it weren’t for constantly thinking about its data, Meiqiu would have wanted to take a bite at Yin Ren, asking him to put an end to its suffering.
Even the treatment location had to be specially changed. What was the point?
“Qiqi, remember the scenes before you. I’ll need complete focus for what comes next.” It heard Yin Ren’s voice.
“Meow.” Gao Mengyu’s cat quickly responded.
“There’s one method we haven’t tried! Zhong Chengshuo, you’ve used that method before—you once infused power into my body and into your own flesh. This kind of physical transformation isn’t bound by cognition. Teach me.”
Ridiculous! Meiqiu’s mind suddenly generated several small papers filled with ideas.
Fresh Elemental flesh was far more powerful than that of evil spirits. This undoubtedly meant death for the cat.
“You’d better try a little first,” Zhong Chengshuo said without refuting. “Its body is too weak, and this aspect of research is still blank. Come, touch its wound first…”
The next moment, a surge of power flowed into Meiqiu’s body.
Pain!
The blood in its veins felt like it had been replaced with strong acid. Not to mention fusion, Meiqiu’s agony instantly multiplied by a thousandfold. It screamed and writhed on the tabletop, retching uncontrollably and convulsing as if it had just been electrocuted. In the midst of the violent thrashing, its abdominal wound split even wider, and fragments of its internal organs scattered all over the table.
“…Stop tormenting it!” Fu Tianyi’s muffled and indistinct voice drilled into its ears. “I know you mean well, but Meiqiu—”
“Meiqiu, I know you can still hear me.” Yin Ren quickly retracted the Evil Force. His voice came extremely close. “If you don’t want to give up, meow once. If you want to give up, meow twice.”
‘It’s so painful,’ Meiqiu thought.
But it was already halfway through its research project…
“Meow.” It let out a soft whimper.
“Magic techniques are completely ineffective. We can only resort to physical transformation,” Yin Ren murmured seriously. “Back then, I survived, and Zhong Chengshuo’s body survived. There must be…”
“When I merged with the baby, I consciously suppressed my power, so the physical body didn’t collapse.” Zhong Chengshuo’s voice carried his usual calmness. “But I couldn’t control the power I gave you back then. How did you deal with it?”
Then, Zhong Chengshuo added in a low voice, “I didn’t mean to harm you back then.”
Yin Ren: “When was that… Hmm, I used my own power to suppress it with all my might.”
At the end of his sentence, Yin Ren’s voice abruptly stopped, as if he realized something.
Meiqiu’s ears suddenly perked up.
It remembered Zhong Chengshuo had split his power as the old Fear, which happened to be half of its own… It seemed that half of that power was suppressed by Yin Ren’s own power, which prevented it from killing Yin Ren on the spot.
It’s over. It didn’t have the same power as the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi back then.
“Power difference. Yes, power difference.” Yin Ren’s tone, however, became joyous. He covered Meiqiu’s wound with his hand. “Meiqiu’s body is weak, and the power of Fear’s flesh is too strong for it… Qiqi, come here.”
“You give me a piece of flesh, and I’ll treat you. I’ll also give you ten times the food.”
“Meow!” Gao Mengyu’s cat was ecstatic.
Something else flowed into Meiqiu’s body.
It still hurt, but this time the pain seemed bearable. Under Yin Ren’s control, it became gentle and docile, slowly merging into its body in a submissive manner. Whether it was intentional on Yin Ren’s part or not, the whole process was excruciatingly slow.
After the pain subsided, a strange and lingering soreness followed.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Meiqiu suddenly felt dizzy, and its body felt incredibly strange. The numb-like, intense pain disappeared, replaced by a strange sense of discord.
It finally lost consciousness.
……
“…Meiqiu, Meiqiu.”
Yin Ren’s voice sounded exhausted.
“Dr. Meiqiu, can you hear me?”
“Meow…” Meiqiu managed to squeeze out a cracked sound.
It extended a paw in a certain direction, catching a scent that was indescribable. There was food there, and it was thirsty and hungry, feeling dizzy.
Something was brought to its mouth, and Meiqiu hastily swallowed it.
Soft, slightly cold, and extremely delicious. It felt like drinking a large bowl of warm sheep’s milk; even the tip of its tail felt warm. Meiqiu regained strength, struggling to climb up from the table and barely seeing what was in front of it.
A small piece of flesh limb, with the owner of the limb standing not far away; its fourteen eyes looking over curiously.
“Meow!” Gao Mengyu’s cat friendly greeted.
Meiqiu shook its head. Since regaining consciousness, its vision was very distorted—like at this moment, when it didn’t tilt its head, it saw Fu Tianyi, Yin Ren, and Zhong Chengshuo. The first two had expressions of joy and subtlety, while the last one seemed contemplative.
It struggled to control its vision and saw its own reflection on the table.
In the blurry reflection, there was a black cat with fourteen eyes.
Meiqiu: “…”
It survived, but it was no longer a cat in the conventional sense. Its Infinite abilities were still present and even stronger, but the increase was limited.
Ignoring Fu Tianyi, who was weeping as he hugged it, Meiqiu analyzed the situation with all its strength—
Living creatures in the human world, having merged with the fresh flesh of Elementals, possessed Elemental characteristics but were not entirely Elementals. In a sense, this could be seen as an upgraded version of “corruption from Evil Force”.
This time, it was lucky. If Yin Ren hadn’t been there to help suppress it, it might not have been able to bear the corruption of the Lonely flesh. Regardless, from the perspective of the outcome, Yin Ren’s attempt was very successful.
Back then, if Yin Ren had also survived like this…
Meiqiu struggled to turn towards Zhong Chengshuo, who sensed its multiple gazes and nodded slowly.
Not long ago, it had just sorted and categorized Yin Ren’s racial doubts with Zhong Chengshuo.
Why didn’t Yin Ren undergo the birth through Satisfaction? His form, abilities, and habits differed greatly from “Fear”.
Why could Yin Ren walk in the human world without merging with any body?
…The Fear cub, a special individual. Perhaps their line of thinking was wrong from the beginning.
The Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi had been corrupted by Evil Force even in the womb, making him a walking living evil. Thousands of years ago, he had only relied on his own strength to withstand the more terrifying and powerful corruption of the Elemental flesh.
He had always been a human “severely corrupted by the Other Side”.
But just an individual.
If a mortal was heavily corrupted by an Evil Force, if they didn’t die, they might become “Charons”, “Resonators”, “Inifiniters”… If an evil being was corrupted by the power of an Evil Force, if they didn’t die, they might become an “Evil Spirit”.
So, what if a human—a living human—for some unknown reason, survived the corruption of the Evil Force, and then survived even more pure and powerful corruption from a Primordial Elemental flesh?
That person was forced to tame that power, make it their own, and continue to grow…
Such a special phenomenon, as of yet, had gone unnoticed by anyone, and therefore it didn’t have a name.
…It seemed that this time, they would be able to bring out a significant discovery.
Meiqiu slowly curled up on the table, wearily closing its eyes.
Kinky Thoughts:
End of the arc. Summary below. There’s just one more arc left.
With Joy taken care of, Yin Ren had proven himself to Qi Xin. Qi Xin decided to help Yin Ren and, working together with Shian, open up a passage to the Other Side so they could rescue the missing people.
However, the premise was that Yin Ren would become the new Fear and restore order back to the Other Side, which now no longer has a life or death cycle.
With a passage secured, Unit 9, along with Meiqiu and Fu Tianyi, transverse to the Other Side. While Yin Ren trained and adapted to the Other Side, not wanting to be left behind and be protected, Zhong Chengshuo developed his own methods.
Since he was the original Fear, using his bones and essence, he created a Karma Lantern that imbued the power of the old Fear. Meanwhile, while training to adapt and become the new Fear, Yin Ren stumbled upon Gao Mengyu’s cat that had returned home. It belonged to the species of “Lonely” cats, and it led them to their base.
Apparently, the Elementals are waging war against the humans on the Other Side. It is then revealed that Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng, who disappeared 28 years ago, along with a Shian employee who disappeared two years ago through a gap, were able to survive on the Other Side with sentience. They attack Elementals in order to obtain their flesh and blood, as magic and weapons don’t work unless they are conjured up through one’s own mental abilities.
Having reunited with the missing people from 28 years ago, they developed a plan to rescue Li Xiaohe’s mother and the other people who had disappeared due to Sunken Society’s plans.
Meanwhile, on the human side, Xiang Jiang summoned a corpse centipede to terrorize Haigu in order to instill fear and superstition in the populace. This gives rise to Love’s “angel’s arm”, giving it influence over the population of Haigu.
Those people were being held captive in a base made by Love, surrounded by a cocoon. They are stored there in order to feed the Other Side while in a semi-comatose state, similar to what Bai Yongji did by merging humans and furniture together.
The rescue mission almost went perfectly until Hu Tao arrived. Under Love’s influence, Hu Tao believes her serial murderer husband is hiding on the Other Side and demands that Unit 9 find him. Ultimately, Yin Ren was able to convince her to let go, and, no longer having an obsession, Hu Tao dissipated, finally peacefully at rest.
As they escaped, Yin Ren was seriously injured, almost falling into Love’s trap. The missing people were rescued and transported out from the Other Side. With that, Yin Ren (to recover after being seriously wounded during the escape), Zhong Chengshuo (to study more about the Other Side), Meng Huai, Zhong Chengfeng, Fu Tianyi (not by choice), and Meiqiu remained on the Other Side in order to deal with Love.
“Do you feel happy now that you know I’m still alive?” a female voice said cheerfully.
Li Nian opened his bloodshot eyes wide and looked up at the ceiling. He had fallen asleep on his office chair without realizing it. Upon waking up, his neck hurt as if it had been broken.
Li Nian reached out to support himself on the edge of the desk, but his stiff arm disobeyed him and accidentally knocked over a tall stack of files.
There was a clatter of chaos.
Fu Xingchuan tumbled off the sofa with a thud; there was still a trace of saliva at the corner of his mouth. The talisman in his hand was almost crushed. “Who is it?!”
“You always claim to dislike noisy people, but Xiao Fu is even more lively than me.” An arm wrapped around Li Nian’s shoulder, and “Meng Huai” chuckled.
The warmth felt so real.
Noticing Li Nian’s tense body, Fu Xingchuan quickly understood the reason. “Lao Li, you…”
“I’m fine,” Li Nian said stiffly, pouring himself a cup of strong tea.
The angel’s arm was considered a “good thing” for most dependents. Deceased loved ones, absent lovers, unattainable objects of obsession… It would take on their appearance and accompany them in the most genuine way.
From the current perspective, it didn’t do anything harmful to humanity. In many reports, it even helped many people who were in a slump by comforting them through their loved ones.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of news might not have much influence. But with the recent frequent anomalies, everyone was living in fear and unease. Under the vigorous promotion by the Coral Reef Company, this phenomenon had almost become the mascot of Haigu.
Thinking about this, Li Nian’s headache worsened.
“Are you angry?” “Meng Huai” leaned in carelessly. “You wanted to wake up at this time. I just helped you wake up earlier. Your phone has been vibrating for a while.”
Li Nian ignored the person behind him and organized the documents on the desk. The sky outside the window was faintly bright, with stars sparsely embedded in the clouds. The streets in the early morning were particularly quiet, and the lights in Haigu were sparse.
“You can continue sleeping; I’ll sort out the documents.” Li Nian adjusted the desk lamp a bit brighter.
Fu Xingchuan plopped back onto the sofa and sighed. “Be careful that we don’t suddenly both die here.”
“Meiqiu provided the latest investigation data about the angel’s arm. I have to categorize and distribute it to various laboratories for analysis as soon as possible.” Li Nian’s expression was no different from a dead person’s. “Every minute counts.”
Fu Xingchuan looked at Li Nian worriedly for a while, then scratched his head irritably after a long silence. “Forget it. I’ll go out and buy some breakfast. You can come downstairs later to eat.”
“It’s not yet bright outside, and there are no breakfast stalls at the entrance,” Li Nian said flatly.
“Who said there isn’t…” Fu Xingchuan stopped halfway, pressed his temples, and gave a bitter smile.
“Yeah, I forgot,” he murmured, “It’s gone. Recently gone.”
“Like I said, every minute counts.” Li Nian spread a document in front of him and began typing on the keyboard.
On his shoulders, those hands were always supporting him.
Detestable yet endearing.
He hated this damn illusion and despised himself for being unable to resist it. No matter how he repeated in his mind how sinister and malicious this thing was, at his most exhausted and dazed moments, the familiar warmth and weight on his shoulders would always bring him peace of mind.
And at that time, Li Nian would always involuntarily have this thought—
It gave him a sense of liberation.
A person could deceive others, but it was difficult to deceive their own brain.
Fortunately, this thing hadn’t invaded deeply. It could only generate consciousness disturbances in the brain, but it couldn’t leak information. Li Nian took a few more sips of tea and opened the window, attempting to let the cold wind wake him up.
The Shian Tower was extremely tall, and the air was crisp and fresh. Li Nian took a deep breath, and white vapor emerged near his mouth and nose.
“Winter has arrived.” “Meng Huai” stood by his side as if she had never left. “Haven’t you noticed?”
Downstairs in the tower.
Ge Tingting stood frozen in place. The low temperature made her nose turn red.
After returning to Shian, she quickly resumed her daily routine of waking up early to study. Previously, she liked to buy a warm roujiamo to start her day. There was always an old man pushing a cart selling roujiamo near Shian, and they tasted great.
The warm white sesame bun was crispy on the outside, filled with perfectly seasoned fatty and lean meat and finely chopped marinated eggs, and finally drenched in meat sauce. One bite, and the delicious meat and egg mixed with the tender meat patty, which was slightly scalding. In autumn and winter, paired with a cup of hot soy milk, it kept her energized until noon.
But today, the old man selling roujiamo never showed up. There were only a few ruffians belching and casting malicious glances in her direction.
Ge Tingting’s expression remained unchanged, but she had already formed a hand seal.
Just as the leading man was about to approach, a rough voice suddenly sounded behind Ge Tingting.
“Little miss, the grandpa who sells roujiamo isn’t here.” Qin Lele was wearing running clothes and stopped beside Ge Tingting. “How about eating jianbing? There’s a jianbing shop at the intersection.”
“Qin Ge,” Ge Tingting smiled.
Qin Lele had a crew cut and a solid, muscular body. The ruffians only glanced at him before they left, cursing.
“Little miss, you were too strong just now. You might get punished.” Qin Lele let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his neck. He was sweating profusely, as if he had just been pulled out of hot water. “My master said I should become stronger and not abandon my martial arts training. Now I think that having a sharp mind might be important… I still have a long way to go.”
Ge Tingting replied seriously, “No, I still have a long way to go compared to everyone else.”
“Really? Unit 9 is so amazing.”
“Yes.” Ge Tingting nodded earnestly.
“In that case, I’ll have to urge Bin Ge. He’s been taking days off lately,” Qin Lele drooped his brows, “Even if I can’t become too powerful, our Unit 8 shouldn’t be too weak… Xiao Ge, your brain is sharper than mine. Can you teach me how to persuade him?”
Ge Tingting recalled for a moment. Lao Bin from Unit 8, Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from N University, had a higher degree than Zhong Chengshuo.
For someone like her, who barely completed compulsory education, that field was considered divine. But before Ge Tingting could refuse, Qin Lele started talking like pouring beans.
“Bin Ge hasn’t been in a good state recently. I’ve seen him lose several kilograms. He can’t even finish his meals in the cafeteria and has been drinking. I don’t think he’s been injured… Last time, we saw a monster together! But in the subsequent checks at Shian, they couldn’t find anything. I can’t figure it out.”
Qin Lele scratched his head vigorously.
“His brain is better than mine. It shouldn’t be like this.”
Ge Tingting: “He might have been scared and is in a particularly bad mood. Did he have something he liked before? You can mention it to him more.”
She tried her best. The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Ge Tingting felt her forehead sweating.
Qin Lele looked as if he had found a treasure. “Oh, Bin Ge loved studying mold in the sewer the most! He even said he would publish it in some international journal. It’s very impressive. Yes, I’ll get him more mold…”
Ge Tingting: “…”
It sounded very impressive, but she didn’t understand any of it.
But was it really okay to give him mold? Ge Tingting had just decided to dissuade him, but Qin Lele had already run off.
Mold in the sewer…
Ge Tingting held onto the jianbing and instinctively looked towards the sewer.
In the gaps between the cement bricks, it was pitch black, occasionally brushed by withered leaves. Ge Tingting took a bite of the jianbing, walked along the sewer, and stepped on the crackling dried leaves.
One gap, two gaps, three gaps… Finger-thick gaps disappeared one by one behind her.
Until one of them turned white.
Ge Tingting instantly froze—beyond that gap, a pair of human eyes appeared, along with the murky gaze only seen in corpses.
In that moment of eye contact, those eyes curved, as if laughing.
At the same time, there was a chilling rustling sound from the sewer, accompanied by the squishy sound of flesh being squeezed. The sewer cover moved slightly, making continuous knocking sounds. The aura of an evil creature surged like a sudden downpour, chilling Ge Tingting to the core.
The corpse centipede.
It had come out again to shake people’s hearts, and this time it was particularly close to Shian. This thing seemed to see Ge Tingting as an ordinary girl. Its bloodshot eye was rolling around in the gap of the sewer, emitting a chilling aura that made one’s whole body shudder.
Ge Tingting stopped chewing and was expressionless.
Yin Ren’s aura was much stronger than this thing. She didn’t know how many Primordial Elementals she had chopped up. Her heart was calm, like still water.
Judging from the difference in power, she couldn’t defeat it. Moreover, this thing only frightened people and didn’t attack. It would run away when it sensed danger, and there wouldn’t be enough time to find someone to capture it. But to let it go like this…
Ge Tingting looked left and right, picked up a disposable chopstick from the roadside, and fiercely stabbed it into an eye.
In an instant, the sewer cover stopped moving, and that eye quickly disappeared into the darkness. Ge Tingting threw away the chopsticks with an expressionless face and took another bite of her jianbing—within that short moment, her jianbing had become slightly cold.
This thing may be strong, but it only wanted to cause chaos, and its behavior was nothing more than that.
Unfortunately, the city sewer was like a maze, making it hard to catch… The sewer…
Ge Tingting bit into the jianbing, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She turned her head and dashed in the direction where Qin Lele had disappeared.
“Qin Ge, wait!” She turned the AI to maximum volume. “I also want to see Bin Ge—wait for me—”
She suddenly had a straightforward idea of luring the snake out of its hole.
“To deal with that monster—only your Unit 8 can do it—”
……
The Other Side.
Ever since Fu Tianyi, this unlucky guy, was left behind, he had turned into a sponge of knowledge, being twisted and turned by Meng Huai every day, striving to improve more of his techniques on the Other Side.
Sometimes, Fu Tianyi would steal glances at the other two big shots from the corner of his eye.
Yin Ren seemed more like a giant loner taken in by Meng Huai—going out every day to hunt, returning with a string of leftover small Elementals, regardless of wind or rain. He didn’t confide in Meng Huai, and she didn’t ask much either.
Zhong Chengshuo, on the other hand, had become elusive. Sometimes he would lock himself in a small room, and occasionally he would go out, but nobody knew where he went. Zhong Chengfeng had asked a few times, and the answer was always “researching cases”. Since he occasionally took Meiqiu with him when going out, everyone could barely feel at ease.
However, when Zhong Chengshuo was around, there would always be two figures, one white and one red, cuddling in a corner.
Like indicator lights, sometimes both the red and white were present, sometimes only the red, and sometimes there was nothing at all—
When he was full from eating outside, the red-robed Great Celestial Master would find a corner to rest his eyes. If Zhong Chengshuo was there, he would rest his head on his lover’s thigh and curl up. If Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t there, Yin Ren wouldn’t specially lean against anything and would simply rest in the corner.
Regardless of whether the other three people were talking loudly or softly, no matter how they chattered and communicated, the loner would sleep soundly.
Perhaps a thousand years ago, the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi lived like this. Resting among the noisy and chaotic abnormalities, waking up to continue hunting, living like a wild beast.
But Yin Ren’s wounds healed very slowly.
Over these days, his body, which was originally one-third damaged, had become one-quarter. Many wounds were still oozing blood, making it unbearable to look closely.
Perhaps Zhong Chengshuo was still looking for a suitable treatment method, Fu Tianyi thought as he made meat paste. Perhaps there were some special cyber herbs on the Other Side that needed the ancient Fear to explore.
Unfortunately, before he could imagine for a few minutes, he was hit on the head—his Elemental meat paste exploded into a mess in his hands.
“I’m sorry!” Fu Tianyi covered his head, tears welling up in his eyes.
He instinctively looked towards the corner—right now, it was empty.
……
Yin Ren also left the stronghold on time today.
He had already grown accustomed to flying on the other side, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration. If it weren’t for the pain in his wounds all over his body, he could have felt even more at ease.
Not knowing if she was afraid of being eaten herself, Qi Xin threw him a remark of “Let’s meet after you recover” and disappeared without a trace. Yin Ren had been out catching small Elementals to eat these past few days, but no matter how much he ate, something just didn’t feel right.
It was like a person who hadn’t eaten for three days and three nights frantically eating a low-fat salad, as if they were eating a lot, yet it felt as if they hadn’t eaten anything at all.
The powerful Primordial Elementals weren’t easy to mess with, so he needed to be more cunning—under the organization of Love, they patrolled around the white network, making a small move that affected the whole. Before regaining his strength, Yin Ren didn’t want them to sense his movements.
But when it came to finding food, Yin Ren was no worse than any other existing creature.
Today, he quietly approached the vicinity of the white network. Compared to when they were rescuing people, there were more Elementals near the white network now. Yin Ren held his breath and carefully maneuvered around those Elementals.
He had only one target, and that was the enormous hemisphere at the center of the white network.
If he was going to eat, he would eat the best. The most dangerous place was also the most reasonable cafeteria.
With the experience from last time, Yin Ren was able to hide more smoothly this time. He used the shadows of one cocoon after another to carefully maneuver around the white silk threads and crawled towards the central giant hemisphere. The surface of the hemisphere still had a large number of white arms remaining. From this angle, it looked somewhat like hand-pulled noodles.
This thing contained the power of Love, so the nutrients were definitely not lacking.
He still needed to conceal his identity. Yin Ren transformed himself into the appearance of a black cat that wouldn’t attract attention. He hooked his claws onto the nearest web, and the tip of his tail transformed into winged sickles as he swiftly flew towards the thickest arm.
“Meow meow!!!” Before the blade reached, there was a sharp meow from within the cluster of arms.
Yin Ren was startled, causing his claws to nearly miss the pivot point. He curled up his body and nervously looked toward that white area.
Meiqiu was standing right below the arm from earlier with its fur standing on end and its round eyes filled with fear.
An illusion?
Meiqiu was so close that there was no way he wouldn’t sense its presence! Just as Yin Ren was about to slip away, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck—
The one who made the move was a young man dressed in red with a wooden mask on his face. He was covered in purification charms and had a familiar satchel by his side. This person had extremely fast hand movements, grabbing hold of Yin Ren with one hand and holding a notebook and pen with the other.
Although he was dressed like Fu Tianyi, Yin Ren recognized this person’s characteristic movements, even if he turned to ashes.
Nol’s relaxed mood disappeared instantly when he saw the knight. He took several steps back and leaned against the wall, retching violently.
This reaction was purely instinctual, with his reason not even having time to respond.
Whether it was the corpse of a giant dragon or a clean skeleton, the impact was nowhere near that of a “deformed living person”.
The young Temple Knight lay in the sewage. He had lost both eyes, his tongue, most of his skin, and all his fingernails. The bones of the knight’s limbs pierced through the skin, bending in different directions, like a puppet toy broken by a child.
The gentle halo of the armor was covered in blood, and if it weren’t for the faint rise and fall of his chest, anyone would believe he was dead.
Nol forced himself to stop retching and knelt beside the disfigured knight. He threw healing spells at him as if it didn’t cost anything. When his MP was drained, Nol took out the pigments he bought from the grocery store and swallowed them all—those pigments contained magical materials that could replenish a tiny amount of MP.
After the third time he drained his MP, the knight’s breathing finally stabilized.
Only then did Nol come to his senses. His mind was almost blank, only thinking of “saving someone”. He gasped for breath in hindsight, supporting himself on the ground as his scalp tingled—born in a time of peace, Nol had rarely seen severe wounds, let alone witnessed someone severely tortured.
The warm and damp smell of blood mixed with the strange smell of the sewer and the stench of excrement made everything feel so real.
This wasn’t his game. Nol felt a strong sense of reality for the first time.
Even in “Harry Potter“, the Unforgivable Curses only inflict pure mental torture or instant death. Not to mention “Tahe”, a game where Players have a light-hearted first-person perspective.
It was still within his mental tolerance seeing Teest covered in minor wounds and the villagers in the novice village turned to dust. But this was too much… Absolutely unacceptable. It was inhumane.
“You really are a kind-hearted person,” Teest whispered. “This level of healing is sufficient for now. We can at least move him.”
Nol didn’t have the strength to respond. He slowly dug his hands into the ground, and the mud between his fingers felt cold and greasy, like the entrails of the dead.
……
It must be said that the church of the Temple of Life was quite nice.
Its reception room was simple and cozy, without rigid religious decorations, not even idols. The surrounding walls were a warm earth tone, wooden tables and chairs emitted a gentle light, and they were covered with green plants and flowers. Fruits in wicker baskets exude fragrance, and herbal tea with honey at just the right temperature.
No doubt, it was a good place to relax.
Nol’s mood improved slightly. To be honest, as a Lich, he really didn’t want to get involved with the Temple. But after handing the injured to the church staff, they insisted on inviting them into the church, and refusing would be even more suspicious.
At the moment, the knights weren’t present, and only Nol and Teest were in the reception room.
“You chased the thief so hard just for these?” Teest rifled through Nol’s bag, sounding skeptical.
Nol was busy rinsing his mouth with tea. He had swallowed quite a bit of paint and didn’t want to show off his colorful teeth to others.
“The most important thing is this.” After rinsing carefully, Nol took out a ring box from his pocket and tossed it over. “Here, for you.”
“I remember we already have rings,” Teest replied, catching the box.
“Open it and see.”
Teest opened the box with suspicion, carefully picked up the thin wing, and raised his eyebrows. “This is…”
“Come here. Let me put it on for you.” Nol stood up.
The “Fairy’s Prank” hid items with system privileges, and Teest couldn’t use the system. Nol feared that Teest’s curse might suddenly strike, making this hard-won treasure ineffective.
Teest nodded. He locked the reception room door and then came to Nol, lifting his hair for him.
Stripping the fake pearl and adhesive, Teest’s earlobe looked slightly red and swollen, revealing the gold of the Player’s earring. Nol cast a healing spell, then used “Fairy’s Prank” with the strongest vine glue to stick it to the earring pendant.
The logo of “Tahe World” was obscured and distorted by the thin wing and glue. The next moment, it vanished into the air like a wisp of smoke.
This prototype item from in-game purchases was amazingly effective. Only a specially made potion could wash it off. Of course, if Teest still wanted to show off the Player’s earring, he could easily get a fake one made by a goldsmith and wear it when necessary.
It was just perfect.
Nol reached out and rubbed Teest’s earlobe. On the soft earlobe, there was only a regular earring hole left. Not to mention invisible, he couldn’t even feel the game earring.
This was too miraculous. Nol couldn’t help but pinch and play. The poor earlobe, which had just faded its redness, was twisted pink again by him.
“…Have you had enough fun?” Finally, Teest couldn’t help but speak.
“Alright, alright.” Nol quickly backed off.
Teest glanced at him with a complicated look, quickly took off the earring from his right ear, and then gathered his long hair, tying it up with a leather strap, perfectly revealing both ears.
Only after adjusting every detail did he unlock the room door.
As it turned out, Teest’s efforts were in vain. The captain of the Investigation Knights knocked on the door properly and waited politely until they opened it themselves.
“Hello, sir, we meet again. I didn’t introduce myself last time. I’m the captain of the Fifth Brigade of the Investigation Knights, Eugene Malloy.”
Knight Eugene smiled very cordially, without any air of superiority.
“Thanks to the timely rescue of both of you, Knight Manley—our precious comrade—was saved.” He sincerely saluted the two of them. “May the Great Goddess bless you forever.”
“It’s strange. My friend just happened to bring a healing potion. I always objected to him buying such expensive stuff.” Teest spoke first. “Now it seems, maybe it’s the guidance of the Goddess.”
‘Wow, such smooth bullshit.’ Nol marveled in his heart. Teest’s cautiousness had returned. He obviously didn’t want the Temple to discover the fact that a “companion can use recovery magic”.
“May I have the honor of inviting the two of you to a banquet? If it’s inconvenient, we have prepared the rewards in the room next door.” Eugene, seemingly not noticing anything odd, smiled even more cordially.
“Let’s see the rewards first.” Teest was straightforward, acting as if he was just an inexperienced cook.
Eugene didn’t show any disdain. He nodded and led them personally.
In the next lounge, there were two silver plates. One had hundreds of gold wheels, and the other contained two brand new identity proofs.
“We have verified the situation of the two with the guards,” Eugene said. “Replacing identity proof is a hassle. This way, you can save a lot of trouble.”
Nol raised an eyebrow.
Eugene probably found their names from the work contract of the caravan. But the caravan’s contract was just a regular one, where names could be falsified. Would an Investigation Knight be so careless?
“There’s a reason why the Investigation Knights are called so.” Eugene seemed to see through his thoughts. “I’m glad that under the gaze of the Goddess, both of you didn’t lie.”
That meant they had a special means of identification.
Nol wasn’t daunted. He nodded and said, “Sir, I’m just a little curious. With such a guarantee from the Temple, what if we were criminals using our real names?”
Eugene paused, then burst into laughter.
“A Temple certificate is no different from a regular one, unless you are members of the Eternal Church.” Eugene continued with a laugh, “However, since both of you saved our people, you can’t be members of the Eternal Church—they would never do such a thing.”
Nol showed a politely puzzled expression. How is it impossible? Haven’t there been undercover stories throughout history?
“Because the Goddess doesn’t choose the wrong people.”
Eugene’s smile was radiant.
“Whether it’s our God or theirs.”
……
In the end, the two put on robes and attended the church banquet. Regarding this matter, Teest convinced Nol with just two sentences—
The first: “It’s said that the City Lord will come, and we might be able to get some information.”
And the second: “Although wearing the same style of robe is a bit strange, the second piece is half price.”
Nol was speechless.
Why hadn’t he noticed before how frugal this guy was? Sitting at the dining table, he mused. The two, looking extraordinary and wearing identical silver-trimmed gray robes, attracted a lot of attention.
Nol wasn’t fond of crowds. He focused all his attention on the food. The banquet of clergy and knights had nothing to do with “luxury”. The table was filled with common meats, fruits, and bread. Butter cookies with jam were the only dessert.
But admittedly, the chef’s craftsmanship was excellent. They looked quite tempting.
Perhaps to provide an opportunity for these two commoners, Eugene seated them next to the City Lord. Before the banquet began, Teest and Nol successfully saw the Lord of Whitebird City.
He was a handsome middle-aged man. He was tall and sturdy, with black hair streaked with silver and brown eyes full of pain and anxiety. His chin was covered in stubble, and there were dark circles under his eyes, showing he hadn’t rested well for a long time.
“‘Jonah Swain. You two can just call me Jonah.”
But facing the two distinguished guests, the City Lord’s actions were graceful and standard. He turned to the two, forcing a smile. “Mr. Eugene has told me everything. You both are commendable. The cost of training a qualified Investigation Knight is enormous. They are worth their weight in gold.”
There was something odd about the City Lord’s tone. It was hard to tell if he was praising or displeased. Nol guessed it might be related to the fact that he couldn’t find his beloved daughter. However, that topic was sensitive, and neither he nor Teest mentioned it.
After a few words, the City Lord seemed to lose interest in them, or perhaps he was just too tired. He barely kept his eyes open, looking at the Investigation Knights not far away. This nearly two-meter-tall, muscular man ate even less than a street pigeon.
Nol noticed the flask at his waist. It was roughly shaped, with a crooked angelic carving on its surface. It was securely attached to the City Lord’s belt, but there was no smell of alcohol on him.
“It was a gift from my daughter.” Noticing Nol’s gaze, Lord Swain spoke unusually. He caressed the silver flask, tears forming in his eyes. There was a sloshing sound from inside.
“My little Maggie, she carved this silver flask with magic when she was seven and gave it to me as a birthday present. When she turned eight, she kept urging me to quit drinking. After that, I only dared to fill it with rejuvenation potions.”
“I’m sorry for bringing up such memories.” Nol took the opportunity to continue the conversation. “We’ll also help look for Miss Swain. If you have any specific clues, please let us know.”
When a child went missing, anxious parents wouldn’t be choosy about who they sought help from. If not for the language barrier, they’d even question every cat and dog on the street.
Sure enough, Lord Swain seemed more spirited. “She’s always been a good and obedient girl, but before her disappearance, she’d go out often and come back in a daze. She once mentioned the ‘Mad Monk’, and I thought…”
Pausing, he swallowed hard, as if trying to push down the pain. “I thought she might have gotten involved with something bad, so I consulted a psychiatrist…”
“Forgive me for being forward, but why didn’t you inform the Temple at that time?” Teest gently asked. “Regarding the ‘Mad Monk’, the Temple would surely intervene immediately.”
Lord Swain looked down with a wry smile. “Young man, Whitebird City relies on those merchant caravans for income, and the leaders of those caravans are all overly sensitive. If they knew that the ‘Mad Monk’ was in Whitebird City… No, even hearing about the presence of the Investigation Knights would make them detour through Dogtooth Bay.”
“Maggie was only fourteen, and she only mentioned it verbally. No one else could confirm it. Otherwise, I would never… Haa.”
The City Lord put down his cutlery, unable to eat anymore.
“It’s not your fault. Please take care of yourself,” Teest said gently. “We’ll do our best to help.”
“Thank you. If you have any news about her, you can always come to see me.” The City Lord sighed.
……
The children were walking in the forest outside Whitebird City as it gradually got dark. They carefully observed the woods, and the woods observed them in return.
This wasn’t a metaphor.
At this moment, five children, led by Hannah, had ventured deep into the forest.
The sky here was fragmented by the canopy. Numerous broken dolls of different sizes and styles lay or sat on branches, some with only heads left. Their hair stuck in the trees, and their heads swayed in the wind like bizarre fruits.
The dolls’ eyes moved within their moldy sockets, watching the children closely.
Hundreds of meters behind the children, skeleton rats moved through the bushes. Every few hundred meters, one would curl into a bone ball and bury itself in the ground.
Not far away, a doll with only one eye left stared from a tree hole, silently watching everything.
And deeper in the forest, a damaged skirt fluttered slightly. A girl—or rather, a doll girl—stood up from a rocking chair.
She looked around eighteen, with two flaxen braids and a delicate and pretty face closely resembling a real person. However, there was a glaring crack on the right side of her forehead, and her eyes lacked reflection. Her hands and arms had clear doll joints, but they moved just like a living person’s.
“Hannah and the others have returned,” the doll girl said in a hoarse voice.
“May the Goddess bless them,” a younger voice replied. “Miss Witch, are they okay?”
“It’s hard to say if they’re fine,” the doll referred to as the “Witch” responded. “Someone is following them, and they seem to use magic.”
“A mage from the Temple of Life?”
“Definitely not.”
“So what should we do…”
The witch moved her joints. “If someone dares to approach, I’ll be there to stop them. Don’t worry.”
After speaking, she unnecessarily took a deep breath. “Call everyone in. It’s time for dinner… What’s with that look on your face?”
“Uh, it’s my first time seeing someone stir-fry tomatoes with bird eggs.”
“Margaret, trust me, it won’t taste bad.”
The author has something to say:
Holy scrambled eggs with tomatoes! (×
Suddenly, it feels like having Player and traveler IDs without surnames saves so much trouble (^ρ^)
————————————
Congratulations to the two of you for completing the couple’s matching outfit achievement!
After signing the contract with the Rizzi Caravan, Teest happily plunged into the market.
He quickly bought the clothes he needed—four linen shirts with simple patterns, brand new coarse hunting trousers, four pairs of sturdy and breathable deer leather boots, and two robes for formal occasions. To pack them, he also bought an extra hard fabric backpack.
In addition, Teest specifically chose a new belt for himself. It was made of the best cowhide, much sturdier than before, and the seller also gave a matching sheath.
When he was about to leave the clothing store, he paused and went back to buy a black cloak. After all, his new companion was a rare Lich. Due to some stereotype, Teest always felt that Nol should have a cloak.
Of course, all of these were civilian styles.
Teest changed his clothes directly, successfully shifting his style from “country bumpkin” to “good citizen with a regular job”. He didn’t even glance at the delicate and dazzlingly beautiful clothes in the store.
After packing these, there was still a lot of space in the backpack. Teest hummed a tune and decided to stock up on more food.
The weather was good today, and the sunlight made the fruits and vegetables particularly pleasing.
The market was bustling with people coming and going. Merchants shouted at the top of their lungs, occasionally spraying water on fruits and vegetables. The butcher set up a stove, grilling greasy cured meat and sausages, and the aroma permeated the entire street.
Teest casually juggled a red apple, moving freely among the crowd.
He definitely needed to replenish dried meat and cheese. Perhaps he should buy some honey, dried fruit, and other goodies…
“Stop.” Someone called from behind. “The one with white hair, stop!”
Teest put away the apple and turned around.
The one who stopped him was a middle-aged knight, accompanied by a younger one. A typical patrol duo.
They wore dark green cloaks, no helmets, and matte silver-gray armor adorned with patterns of branches, fruits, and vines. Triangular olivine was set on the hilt of their swords, and the sheath bore the emblem of the Temple of Life—six overlapping leaves mimicking the shape of wheat.
Knights of the Temple of Life.
Their attire seemed out of place in this small town, perhaps members of the Investigation Knights. Teest relaxed his eyebrows and turned around gracefully.
“Good morning, gentleman,” he said politely. “What can I do for you?”
“Identification,” said the knight who had stopped him, a man of few words with caterpillar-like thick eyebrows and a very serious square face.
“Unfortunately, my ID was stolen,” Teest sighed. “But my companion and I just entered the city last night. You can verify with the guards. He must still remember me.”
The two knights exchanged glances.
“I just signed a contract with the Rizzi Caravan this morning. I’m their new cook. I still have the contract. Would you like to see it?” Teest said with a smile.
“Of course, thank you for your cooperation.”
The younger knight smiled in return, his gaze sweeping past Teest’s left ear. He looked about twenty, with very handsome features, short golden-brown hair, and eyes like a post-rain tundra. “Without identification, we need to check your belongings according to the rules.”
“Understood.” Teest willingly took off his backpack.
The knights led him to a corner of the market. They carefully inspected the clothes, food, and Teest’s “old hunting knife”.
“I also have an old waist bag,” Teest mentioned. “I left it in my hotel room. If you want to see it, I can take you there.”
“No need. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will verify your entry time with the guards,” the young knight said as he returned the backpack.
Once Teest had his backpack on, the knight took out a silver hook from his pouch. “This is an apology for the delay. May your life be full of vitality.”
“Praise the Goddess.” Teest accepted the coin. “If there’s nothing else…”
“Oh, one more thing.” The young knight smiled. “Street kids often hang around the caravans. If you encounter them, please pass on a message—during these trying times, the church has emptied enough rooms for them to take refuge.”
“The vagrants are very thieving and strong enough to protect themselves, but the children are too young,” the middle-aged knight added. “Be careful, traveler.”
“I remember the Temple distributes food to street kids.” Teest raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for the church staff to remind them?”
The young knight lowered his eyes. “When food is given to the children, it will soon be snatched away by adults.”
“We used to let the children finish eating before leaving. But then, the vagrants began circling the church, not letting the children get close, trying to force the church to revert to its original distribution system… Now, out of ten children who are still willing to go to the church for supplies, maybe not even one actually does.”
“It’s tough for you all,” Teest remarked, pulling out an apple and taking a bite. “If I come across any street children, I’ll be sure to mention it.”
“Thank you for your kindness,” The young knight said sincerely.
“Captain Eugene, what do we do next?” the middle-aged knight asked in a low voice after Teest had disappeared from view. “The child has been missing for several days. We need to think of something else.”
“Yes,” the young knight, still looking at the receding figure of Teest, responded with a bitter expression. “Actually, I’ve been pondering this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why Margaret Swain?”
The young knight—Eugene stopped smiling.
“Miss Swain is intelligent, but her magical abilities are average at best. There’s nothing particularly ‘indispensable’ about her. If the goal was simply to find a sacrifice or a crime target, there are easier targets in the city. Everyone knows that when the heir of a City Lord goes missing, the Temple takes it very seriously.”
“Moreover, the culprits haven’t demanded a ransom or taunted the Temple. What’s the real reason for taking such a risk?”
Hearing this, the middle-aged knight scratched his head. “Now that you mention it…”
“On my second day here, I had Manley and Gambul investigate separately. Over the past two years, the street children of Whitebird City have been disappearing, but not fast enough for anyone to notice.”
The middle-aged knight was speechless.
It wasn’t entirely the residents’ fault for being indifferent. Trade caravans from different nations came and went, often taking street children that caught their eyes, or leaving behind unwanted child slaves or illegitimate children. And children grew fast, changing every year. No one really kept track of them.
Even if someone did notice something amiss, it would be hard to provide evidence. Who could tell whether a street child disappeared or just slipped into a trade caravan’s wagon?
“There are too many uncertainties.” Eugene sighed. “For now, we should focus on protecting the children.”
“Cowards who target children… When the time comes, I’ll make sure to slash that guy’s face,” the middle-aged knight declared with anger.
…Teest had heard something interesting from the shadows not too far away, touching his left ear.
Now it was time for another task—he wasn’t the only one eavesdropping on the knights.
Hearing footsteps, it was likely a child under twelve. After the knights left, the child weaved through the crowd and quickly slipped into a dark alley.
Teest, biting on his apple, followed at a safe distance. He trailed the child through narrow lanes, houses, abandoned towers, and then watched as the child jumped down some stairs, crossed a foul-smelling ditch, and finally, Teest stopped at an entrance to a sewer.
This place was near the city walls and had been abandoned for a long time. Rust-red iron railings lay on the ground, buried in mud, and shrubs almost completely covered the entrance.
The child entered, and within three minutes, another street urchin rushed over and went straight in. Estimating the timing, Teest stood up and was about to continue his pursuit—
His nominal husband, temporary partner, and employer, the Lich who called himself “Nol”, was running over, panting, holding a broken stick. He was running so hard that he almost ran into Teest.
In front of the sewer entrance, they stared at each other in silence.
“You noticed something was off too?” Teest cleared his throat and began.
“What do you mean?”
“I just saw a child eavesdropping on the case of the missing children, and I followed. But I didn’t expect to bump into you here. Did you find any clues?”
Nol looked away, the corner of his mouth drooping. After a while, he hesitantly said, “Well, a kid stole something from me.”
“…That’s unfortunate.”
Nol slapped his face. Damn, Teest didn’t even try to hide the pity in his eyes. Yes, he might be the most embarrassing Lich in the world, but he couldn’t just use magic on a minor, could he?
“Where’s the child?” Nol tried to change the subject.
Teest pointed to the hidden sewer entrance. “I guess we’re heading in the same direction.”
……
The sewers had been neglected for a long time. The path was pitted and uneven like an anthill, even more complicated than a witch’s home. Nol summoned a skeleton dog, which could catch the lingering scent of the children who had just passed by a few minutes ago.
“…You two idiots!”
The sewers were stinky and dark, damp and slippery everywhere. After turning about ten thousand corners, they heard faint voices.
Teest immediately stopped, giving Nol a “shh” gesture.
“Little Spoon, how many times have I emphasized? Don’t steal from people coming out of the magic shop! Those guys are either magicians or the servants of magicians. If you get caught, they’ll turn you into a pig with stubby legs!”
It was a child’s voice, hard to distinguish the gender at this age.
“But, but he looked so clueless, like he’s never faced hardships before…” “Little Spoon” tried to defend herself, sounding no older than eight.
Teest couldn’t help but look at Nol, who was momentarily stunned. It was the first time Nol had been called “clueless” in his life.
“Even if he’s a fool, it’s still not okay,” The first child said sternly. “And you, Tom. Didn’t we agree? No matter what news we hear, we have to wait in the market until sunset before coming back. You left too early and might have been spotted!”
“It’s been so long, and no one has noticed me.” Tom sounded aggrieved.
“That might not be the case.” Teest chimed in cheerfully.
He gave Nol a glance and took the lead out of their hiding place.
Inside the dark sewer, a candle was lit, and four children stood by. As Teest appeared, the kids scattered like frightened chicks, hiding behind one of them—their leader.
The leading child was about thirteen or fourteen, appearing malnourished. Under his grimy newsboy cap, his bronze-colored short hair stuck out in every direction. He wore an ill-fitting adult shirt and pants with many patches.
Among the four children, he wasn’t the most robust, but he had an adult’s demeanor. Even facing grown-ups, his gaze was piercing.
Teest quickly raised his hands, signaling he was unarmed. “Don’t be afraid. I’m just here to retrieve something for a friend.”
“That clueless friend,” the shortest child muttered, glancing at Nol.
Nol was unfazed. He crossed his arms and set his face in a stern expression, determined to watch Teest’s performance. This guy was eager to expose the theft, so he most likely had a backup plan.
“Little Spoon, return the bag to him,” the leader said. “Sir, I apologize. She’s too young and doesn’t know whom to respect.”
It turned out Little Spoon was a girl. Nol wasn’t too surprised. Street urchins, regardless of gender, appeared as boys. They didn’t have a choice if they wanted to survive.
Muttering a swear word that didn’t fit her age, Little Spoon reluctantly walked over and dropped the bag by Nol’s feet, then scampered back behind the leader.
Just as Nol was about to bend down and pick it up, Teest grabbed his shoulder and stared at the child leader. “Bring it out.”
The leader sighed. “Little Spoon.”
She reluctantly went over and produced the ring box from her pocket.
Nol: “.…..”
“Apologies, gentlemen. I’m truly sorry.” The leader bowed deeply.
“An apology isn’t enough after we’ve chased you this far,” Teest said coldly. “Since you don’t seem to have any money, how about this. Tell me, why did he eavesdrop on the Investigation Knights’ conversation?”
He casually pointed to Tom, who trembled.
The leader paused for two seconds. “Everyone says a madman entered the city. We just wanted to know when this shit would end. As you can see, we’ve been forced to live in the sewers!”
Teest glanced at the sweating Tom. “Really? Well, I have some good news. The kind knights said the church is taking in homeless children.”
At this, he looked over all four children. The leader showed a hint of “surprise”, while the other children looked to the leader with evident concern.
“Thank you for the information,” the leader said. “We’ll surely check it out.”
“It’s too dangerous. Let me and my friend escort you while it’s still daylight.” Teest smiled. “Dear Tom should have heard, I’m not a bad guy. I’m a cook from the Rizzi Caravan. And look at my friend, how naive he is!”
‘What kind of bullshit are you spouting,’ Nol thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. If this were the modern world, kids would never go with such a suspicious person.
“No, we can go by ourselves.” The leader refused firmly.
“I understand your concerns,” Teest replied, his smile unwavering. “How about this? I’ll stay here and watch over you, and my friend will fetch the knights to escort you.”
This time, the child leader’s face became paler, and she hesitated before responding.
Teest’s amusement grew more evident.
“Hannah! Something’s wrong, Hannah—!”
Suddenly, a shout broke the tension. A chubby street urchin tumbled in, soaked in sewage, his face pale as death.
“Bacon.” The child leader gritted her teeth. “With outsiders here, what are you doing?!”
“Dead-dead-dead man!” The chubby boy, Bacon, blurted out. “Uh, no, over there. There’s a knight, a Temple Knight. He’s dying! He’s about to die!”
“Someone has to save him!”
Hannah frowned and then quickly regained her composure. She adjusted her newsboy hat and even smirked.
“Good Samaritans, your chance to help has arrived,” she declared loudly. “Being so kind-hearted, you surely won’t leave a dying knight and keep bothering a few kids, right?”
With that, she grabbed Little Spoon’s hand and yelled, “Run!”
“The knight is that way!” Before fleeing, Bacon even considerately pointed out the direction.
Teest shook his head with amusement, not pursuing. He watched the group vanish into the darkness, sighing in resignation.
“Let’s go and save the unfortunate knight,” Teest said. “It’s not like we’re empty-handed. Those little devils are definitely up to something… What are you doing?”
Nol remained stern-faced. His hand was on the first page of the Dragon Corpse Notebook that was flickering light from magic in the dark.
“This naive guy here just summoned a hundred skeleton rats. These rats will follow them, leaving one every so often, serving as markers.”
Within five seconds, Nol stood up, brushing off some dirt. “Alright, let’s go save someone.”
“Sometimes, you’re really quite brilliant,” Teest commented with a chuckle. “I almost want to give you a kiss, honey.”
“No need. Thank you for the compliment, honey.”
The author has something to say:
Teest: Has cunningness of an adult
Nol: Has grudges of an adult
Skeleton rats, being so weak, are only priced at 2 MP each. A great bargain!
The Hongjing Library, although old, had quite a few floors.
Wang Chao rushed to the rooftop with his notebook, panting heavily. He pushed open the heavy wooden door of the journal repository, and the heavy smell that greeted him caused him to sneeze.
Looking around, he couldn’t see any figures, so he called out loudly, “Boss, A’Chen Gege, where are you guys?”
The teenager’s clear and melodious voice echoed among the shadows of the floating bookshelves. Perhaps this was the moment when Xing Conglian was closest to Lin Chen’s inner thoughts, except for when they were lying in bed.
He finally understood why Lin Chen always risked his life in many situations; he probably no longer wanted to leave the decision-making power to others.
And now, he still had a chance to ask Lin Chen what landmines were—whether they were metaphors, actual existing bombs, or just a hypothesis proposed by Huang Weiwei to put him at ease. But all the truths had already merged into the molten steel that fell from the sky, and no one could know.
He thought this was the end.
He gazed at Lin Chen’s back, determined, and said loudly, “Over here, by the window.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen made a slight and almost imperceptible motion, as if wiping away tears, but his hand quickly dropped.
When Wang Chao ran up to them, it was as if nothing had happened.
“Boss, A’Chen Gege received that message, and it indeed points to a certain part of the dark web…” The young man’s words suddenly stopped as his gaze swept over the two of them, as if sensing the strange atmosphere. His voice faltered. “Uh… Did I come too early? I can go out and wait for you guys to get ready…”
He was about to turn around and leave, but Xing Conglian’s frown persisted, and his emotions didn’t ease for a moment. He just kept staring at Lin Chen.
“Come back.” Lin Chen spoke at this moment.
Wang Chao’s figure abruptly halted, and he turned around awkwardly. “A’Chen Gege…”
In this short moment, Lin Chen had already regained his composure.
Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen, but the latter lowered his head, showing no desire to meet his gaze.
Lin Chen stood up, walked to Wang Chao, as if seeing through the teenager’s thoughts, and said calmly, “Rest assured, I didn’t quarrel and break up with your boss.”
He once again restored his usual clean and bright appearance. Xing Conglian finally understood that all the qualities present in Lin Chen were the result of being tempered to the extreme in darkness.
“Oh, I knew it! Where does the Boss get such audacity!” The teenager’s smile was radiant as he made noise and sat down at the desk, looking fearless as if he could dispel all the gloom.
Lin Chen sat opposite Wang Chao, holding the thick periodical, and said, “The sender’s number points to a certain website on the dark web, right?”
All the pain and anger from just now had disappeared completely. Lin Chen, as always, was succinct and decisive as he discussed the main topic with Wang Chao.
“Yes, A’Chen Gege. I used brute force to crack it!” Wang Chao opened his laptop and turned it towards Lin Chen.
In the center of the screen was a red countdown, and the lower right corner showed a cluster of golden flowers.
The website was overly simplistic, with coarse pixelation. Although it didn’t deliberately create a bloody feeling, its indifference conveyed a chilling disregard for life, and indifference was always scarier than passion.
This familiar scene made Xing Conglian retract his gaze and connect the cause and effect. He looked at Lin Chen again, afraid that Lin Chen had sensed it earlier than him. Therefore, no matter how difficult it was, Lin Chen would have to finish telling him the story.
“A’Chen, are they… the same group we encountered before?” Wang Chao asked.
Lin Chen furrowed his brows, pondering deeply, and didn’t answer immediately.
“There’s only a countdown on the website. What does it mean?” Xing Conglian changed the topic and asked Wang Chao.
“It’s not just a countdown!” Wang Chao clicked the countdown at the center of the screen, and an equally rudimentary pop-up window appeared instantly.
Below was a familiar scene often seen in movies; since there was a website and a pop-up window, there must be a place to input a password.
On a white background, there was only a box and a line of a simple word—”password”.
The countdown continued to go backward, showing 12:32:31. However, the units weren’t in hours but in minutes. If they couldn’t crack the password within 12 minutes, who knows what would happen.
“Everything before this is just a gimmick! We need a password to enter the website’s inner world!” Wang Chao knocked on the keyboard. “A’Chen Gege, the password… that should be your part to decipher.”
Xing Conglian coldly retorted to Wang Chao, “Aren’t you a master?”
“Even if I’m a master, I can’t defy the laws of nature. With a supercomputer and half a day, I can crack it for you. But within twelve minutes, I can’t do it!” Wang Chao looked like he couldn’t do it, and he was about to say something else when Lin Chen finally spoke up.
Lin Chen slowly flipped through the journal in his hand and turned it to the page with over a thousand pages. He gently touched the page and said to Wang Chao, “On the dark web, did you see the map of the three provinces nearby?”
“Ah, yes!”
“On the internet, how frequently does our map appear?”
“It’s quite frequent, but most of them are accompanied by that sentence!”
“A balancing game on a tightrope,” Lin Chen said.
“Yes!” Wang Chao paused for a moment and asked, “Should I try entering this phrase?”
“How many characters are in the password?” Xing Conglian asked.
“11!” Wang Chao answered.
Xing Conglian quickly ran through this set of words in his mind and then said, “No language in any country can match this set of 11 characters.”
“Oh… I see. Fortunately, I didn’t try. Otherwise, three wrong attempts might have caused the website to self-destruct.” Wang Chao mumbled.
“It won’t,” Lin Chen interrupted.
“Why won’t it? Why?” Wang Chao was still excited, asking repeatedly.
“Because this is a large-scale game involving the entire internet, and the website won’t be destroyed.” Lin Chen paused and continued. “You can print out the map—use A4 paper. If it’s not enough for A4, enlarge it to fit.”
Wang Chao was stunned. “Okay, but what map do you want? The three provinces around us?”
Lin Chen nodded.
“Do you want a satellite topographic map, or a regular 2D map? Google, Baidu, or…?” Wang Chao spoke as he moved.
“I want the map you found on the dark web.”
“Huh?” Wang Chao’s hand was faster than his brain. He casually clicked on the saved map on the computer desktop. The red and blue lines were intertwined like blood vessels, as if indicating something.
Lin Chen glanced at the map and said sternly to Wang Chao, “Go and print out this map, immediately!”
Wang Chao was clever and could hear the difference in Lin Chen’s tone. He quickly searched for the internal network printer and rushed out like a gust of wind.
Xing Conglian walked behind Lin Chen and looked at the image displayed on the screen.
It was just an ordinary flat map, showing the neighboring provinces of Cheng’an, Jiangxia, and Zhelin, which were the surrounding cities they were all very familiar with.
The map was covered with dense dots. Xing Conglian counted the number of dots on the map—clearly more than fifteen.
All the black dots were connected by straight lines. If it weren’t for the improper timing and location of this map, it would easily be ignored as something ordinary, like a signature in an ordinary forum.
Xing Conglian took a deep breath, placed his hand on top of Lin Chen’s head, and pointed to the collection of periodicals on the table, asking Lin Chen, “Password book?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Just like in the Yongchuan University suicide case, the mastermind clearly didn’t change their usual methods.
“Then, Song Shengsheng…”
“He should also be under their control.”
Xing Conglian’s heart trembled.
“That’s why I said, things will never be over.” Lin Chen stared at the screen, but his tone wasn’t sorrowful or weak; it sounded determined and composed.
Xing Conglian bent down, with one hand still on Lin Chen’s head and the other hooking around his neck, embraced him, and whispered in his ear, “I’ll be here for you from now on.”
This was probably more like a hug between comrades than between lovers. Lin Chen nestled in his arms, finally turned his head and rubbed against his cheek. His gentle breath carried warmth. “That day on the Zhourui Pharmaceutical building, I’m very sorry, and also for many things before. But if we encounter similar situations in the future, I’ll probably still do the same. The past has left too strong a mark on me, which determines who I am now, and that will never change.” Lin Chen paused, rare hesitation showing in his words. “But I still hope that you can accept… accept me as I am,” Lin Chen said earnestly.
Xing Conglian remained silent for a few seconds. He let go of Lin Chen, stood up, and held his shoulders, solemnly repeating, “From now on, I’ll be here for you.”
……
When Wang Chao came back in, Xing Conglian had already settled next to Lin Chen.
Outside the window, a gentle breeze blew, and the morning sun shone brightly, accompanied by the chirping of birds.
There were still 8 minutes left on the countdown.
Wang Chao rushed in like the wind and slammed the printed map on the table. Lin Chen had already taken out a ballpoint pen from his pocket and pressed it open. He circled all the black dots at the intersections of the lines on the map and said, “If I’m not mistaken, this should be a point code. Overly complex and modern encryption tools are not conducive to widespread information dissemination for the mastermind, and he is an old-school person with special interests.”
As Lin Chen spoke, he began to overlay the printed map on the page of the journal with pencil writing. “The point code requires everyone to have the same decryption alphabet. This paper is the alphabet. And these maps widely spread on the dark web are encrypted ciphertexts. The so-called maps and all the intersections of the lines are there to conceal the point code ciphertexts, eliminating them directly.”
Lin Chen meticulously aligned the map with the journal page, and some letters from the journal were indeed faintly visible. Just as Lin Chen had said, those tiny black dots were perfectly aligned with specific letters.
Lin Chen pressed the ballpoint pen on the black dots of the map paper, gently lifted the blank paper, and pierced the surface with the pen tip, making light marks on the next page of the journal.
Xing Conglian counted. He had poked exactly eleven times.
Finally, Lin Chen lifted the paper and, in order, reported all the blue dots he had marked as letters, saying, “The password is: I, N, T, O, T, H, E, D, A, R, K.”
INTO THE DARK.
Into the dark, in the dark.
Kinky Thoughts:
Just for some clarity, the last part in capitalized letters is in English while the last line is in Chinese (basically explaining what the English code means).
At this moment, Xing Conglian was afraid that he might ask in return, “What choice would you make?”
However, Lin Chen said, “Fu Hao set a trap for you.”
“Isn’t that so?” Xing Conglian felt dizzy. “Fu Hao was so secretive at that time, not saying this or that. Can I still catch up with him now and confront him?”
Lin Chen touched his hand, signaling him to calm down.
“Situational questions have their situational nature, but due to the influence of perceptual gestalt, people tend to subconsciously consider macroscopic issues in the cognitive process, neglecting the obscured details. However, in real situations, the details often determine everything.”
Xing Conglian frowned, becoming nervous. “For example, why were those children on the railroad tracks? Why couldn’t they freely leave the tracks, and how did you become the person who had to pull the lever?”
Lin Chen interrupted him, “The real trolley problem is as follows: A madman has tied five innocent people to the trolley tracks. An out-of-control trolley is coming towards them, and it will crush them in a moment. Luckily, you can pull a lever to switch the trolley to another track. However, the problem is that the madman has also tied one person to the other track. Considering the above situation, would you pull the lever?”
“I would pull it,” Xing Conglian answered without hesitation.
“Congratulations, your choice aligns with approximately 89% of people. The survey results come from psychologist Mark Hauser’s test conducted on 200,000 people worldwide,” Lin Chen said. “Now, you can understand why the details are crucial. Now, I’ll complete the missing details for you.” Lin Chen closed the book, his tone firm without any hesitation.
He said, “Four years ago, I worked at a provincial police station, and Huang Ze was my superior. On November 11th, we received reports from four families, reporting that someone in their homes had gone missing. They were all outstanding young people, including Director Chen’s younger brother, Chen Yujun, Director Wu’s nephew, Wu Shanshan, a young master from the Zhou family, and Huang Ze’s sister, Huang Weiwei. I knew Huang Weiwei from before, and she used to call me Lin Gege.”
“Children from influential families,” Xing Conglian said. “Kidnapped?”
Lin Chen nodded. “My experience at that time was similar to today. During the investigation, we were led to the library…”
Xing Conglian froze; the current scene was too similar to what happened back then.
Lin Chen continued, “I found a book in the gap of a bookshelf, and the words ‘Blind Arbiters’ were circled on the pages, leaving a clue.” Lin Chen said, “Due to some of the criminals’ schemes, in the end, the only one who appeared in the factory was me, and I was stripped of my positioning and communication devices. What Huang Ze, including Fu Hao, saw was the result. None of the case files recorded the truth of the event because I concealed the truth.”
“I believe you,” Xing Conglian said.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen glanced at him. “Your trust is based on your understanding of my morals and character. In fact, this story conceals the truly dark, despicable, cowardly, and helpless parts of my humanity. I have wanted to gather the courage to tell you countless times, but I failed. I hope you can hear the whole story and then draw your conclusions.”
Lin Chen was very sincere, and Xing Conglian sat up straight, nodding.
“After arriving at the factory, I followed the instructions and entered the first room. There was a note posted on the door.”
“What did the note say?”
“Experimental instruction.” Lin Chen lowered his eyelids, self-deprecatingly saying, “To be honest, I have participated in countless experiments and devised many of them myself, but I never thought that one day someone would conduct such a test on me.”
Lin Chen choked for a moment, trying to stay composed, but Xing Conglian couldn’t sense any abnormality in his tone.
He continued, “The instruction was as follows: ‘Sincere thanks for participating in this experiment. Please read the instructions carefully. This is a decision-making experiment. In the following tasks, you will have the opportunity to enter three rooms, each containing some materials. Please read the materials carefully and then make a choice. After understanding the above instructions, please enter the experiment. Good luck:)’.”
“You went in,” Xing Conglian stated.
“Yes, I went in,” Lin Chen replied. “Behind the door was an ordinary factory room with countless photos and materials on the walls. Apart from the four kidnapped individuals, I saw 16 other people.”
“16 criminals?”
“No, since it’s a difficult problem, the question wouldn’t be so straightforward and crude.” Lin Chen squinted at the sun. Until today, he seemed to recall the life stories of each of those 16 people effortlessly.
Lin Chen continued, “Among the 16 people, five had minor theft-related records, five were ordinary workers from various industries, and the remaining six were social idlers.”
“On one side were a few elites and wealthy children, while on the other side were mostly the disadvantaged in society.” Xing Conglian took a deep breath. “Devious.”
“Later, I went to the second floor and entered the second room, where I saw two video recordings.” Lin Chen’s tone remained calm, as if he had completely detached himself from the whole event. He spoke like a ghostly figure recalling a distant past. “The first video showed the scene of the abduction of the four elite children. The criminals must have observed them for a long time, so they were swift and accurate when they struck.”
“What about the second video?”
“The second video was long and explained why the remaining 16 people appeared in that factory. It was quite consistent—all of the remaining 16 people came due to their greed and were lured there, believing that the criminals were just conducting a psychological experiment.”
“So, the reason why the remaining 16 people didn’t listen to the advice was because they didn’t believe it?” Xing Conglian shivered, unable to imagine how Lin Chen continued after seeing the first room. He couldn’t fathom Lin Chen’s state of mind.
“You don’t have to immediately jump to the third room,” Lin Chen said.
“What else is in the second room?”
“A choice.”
“A choice?”
“At the end of the video, there was another prompt. The gist was that I could now choose to leave the room and seek help on my own, and no one would stop me, but the consequences would be on me. Alternatively, I could choose to go to the last room and complete the experiment.”
Xing Conglian held Lin Chen’s hand, and the latter turned to look at him, only saying, “You actually had no choice—you knew.”
“I knew,” he replied.
“The third room was on the third floor, and there was a black cloth in front of the room. As I climbed higher, I could probably guess what I would see.”
“What’s there?”
“Before pulling the black cloth away, I saw the final video.” Lin Chen paused for a moment; his breath steady. “The last video was very blurry, the camera was shaky, and the image was dark. All I could hear was the voiceover.”
“That’s the part where they try to persuade the participants?” Xing Conglian asked.
“Yes,” Lin Chen said. “The person speaking should be the younger brother of Director Chen’s family, the one you’ve met before. He’s quite different from his brother; Young Master Chen is a mechanical engineer—very talented—and an intelligent tech enthusiast. That’s probably why the culprit chose him. He told the others that they must move to the other side because it was dangerous here.”
“But except for the elite children who knew him, no one else believed him?”
“You can totally imagine that the 16 people lured here believed they were only participating in a psychological experiment, and the examiner asked them to stay in this position until the experiment was over. They naturally regarded those four extremely panicked young people as part of the test.”
“I finally understand why you said details are crucial.”
“That’s probably the most important thing I learned in college. No matter what research results you see, trace their sources, subject selection, experimental processes, data processing methods, and so on, instead of just looking at the results.” Lin Chen pursed his lips and laughed. “But this brings about a problem—once you understand the whole process, you’d rather not have seen anything from the beginning.”
“Then what happened?” Xing Conglian was afraid that Lin Chen might be affected emotionally, so he asked cautiously.
“Like all psychological experiments, after the video ended, a final instruction appeared, but this instruction was broadcasted through a loudspeaker. The voice was clear and calm, and I still remember every word to this day.” Lin Chen crossed his legs, sitting on the stool, imitating the tone he had heard back then, even with a slightly eerie smile. “Congratulations on reaching the final phase of the experiment. You have five minutes to think. Behind the black cloth, you will see two groups of people. Based on the materials you obtained earlier, pull the lever and choose the group that you believe should survive. If you give up the choice, the group with more people will be executed immediately. I sincerely wish you good luck again.”
“After the voice stopped, the factory was initially very quiet. As the black cloth was pulled away, the echoes in the empty factory amplified the screams infinitely,” Lin Chen said almost without any pause. “There were two platforms suspended in mid-air. On one platform stood the four young people I was supposed to rescue—the ones who had been kidnapped. On the other platform lay the other 16 people.”
“Lying down?”
“Yes, one group could speak and beg for help, while the other group was completely unconscious.” Lin Chen blinked slowly. “How fair it was, because they were outnumbered, they got a chance to persuade me using words.”
Xing Conglian took a deep breath and asked, “What else happened?”
“Then…” Lin Chen looked up at the sun in the sky, speaking calmly, “You know, it’s a steel plant, so there was enough molten steel to wipe everyone out. It couldn’t be described as scalding hot anymore.”
Lin Chen tried to maintain calmness from beginning to end, but at this point, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer, and his voice trembled. “It was a balancing system, and my task was to spend five minutes contemplating who to pour the molten steel over. But who, among them, deserved to die?”
Xing Conglian looked sharply at Lin Chen. Since he had heard Fu Hao’s story, he had also tried to simulate the situation Lin Chen faced. However, the reality was always crueler than any simulation.
“To be honest, I really wanted to leave at that moment. The countdown in the broadcast continued, and the numbers were ticking away. I had already listened to terrified cries for almost half a minute. Then, someone’s voice overwhelmed all the others, and he was the first to speak,” Lin Chen said lightly. “The one who spoke first was the young master from the Zhou family. Young Master Zhou is a lawyer, and his persuasiveness was evident at that moment. He pleaded for me to save them, and he had also listened to the instructions. He said those 16 people were supposed to die anyway, and if I pulled the lever, I would be the one killing them. He said that Chen Yujun had already advised them, but they didn’t listen, and they had to take responsibility for their choices!” Lin Chen said, “I felt he made a compelling argument. Why should a few people pay for the foolishness of the majority? But, those were 16 living human beings. Just because they had a lower education, couldn’t understand bearing systems, and were easily misled, did they deserve to die? Young Master Zhou’s words made sense, but I didn’t agree. I truly couldn’t agree with that perspective.”
Xing Conglian couldn’t intervene and could only say quietly, “Mm.”
“He talked about the law, the social system, rules, and human nature. He said so much… You could call him selfish, but I don’t think it was selfish. Everyone has the right to survive, right?”
Xing Conglian felt as if he too was standing high in the factory, watching those young people standing in mid-air, desperately begging for survival. “This is the ultimate moral test. No matter how you choose and no matter which side dies, once the video of the scene is released, it will trigger a massive public outcry. Everyone will start discussing rules, morality, good, and evil. If the elites survive, it will show that the lives of the privileged are more precious than those of the common people. If the majority of commoners survive, it will demonstrate that life can be measured by quantity, not quality.”
“Yes, so at that time, my mind was in chaos. I couldn’t even calm down. I knew what the culprit was trying to do, so I was very panicked. At that moment, I even turned around.” Lin Chen analyzed himself calmly. “My nature isn’t as strong as you think; I’m really a coward. I thought it would be great to stay out of it. I wouldn’t violate the law, and it would seem like I wasn’t responsible for anyone’s death.” Lin Chen looked at him with a mix of despair and desolation, yet still clear-headed. “But as you said, not making a choice is also a choice. If it wasn’t for Young Master Wu starting to curse, I would probably have collapsed and run away.”
“Young Master Wu scolded you?”
“No. Young Master Wu pointed at Young Master Zhou’s nose and called him an idiot, telling him to shut up. They were forcing me to make a decision. Once they miraculously survived, they would become murderers, and their consciences would haunt them for the rest of their lives.” Lin Chen paused for a moment, somewhat relieved. “I read Young Master Wu’s profile; he is an athlete, full of youthful vigor. Even at that moment, he was fighting for fairness for the other side. He’s kind-hearted and will have a very good and fulfilling life. Such a young person shouldn’t die in such a cruel and unreasonable situation.”
Xing Conglian corrected him, “Don’t forget, at that time, you were also very young.”
“I’m different; I held a public office,” Lin Chen said firmly.
Xing Conglian thought Lin Chen probably felt this way.
The sun outside the window had descended further, and the green trees swayed in the wind. It should have been a beautiful afternoon, but because of the story that could only be told while drinking, it became brutal and bloody.
At this moment, neither of them spoke. They just raised their beer cans to each other and lightly tapped them, as if encouraging each other so they could finish telling and hearing the story.
“So, after this, what happened to you as a public official, Consultant Lin?” Xing Conglian asked.
“Time was slow, yet fast; the passage of time in physics isn’t affected by the perception of time in psychology. By then, it had been about three minutes, and the molten steel in the sky began to tilt towards the unconscious 16 people,” he self-derisively said. “The experimenter was forcing me to make a choice, and I was forced to walk up to the lever and reach out my hand for the first time…”
Xing Conglian realized that the molten steel in the sky was the train rushing towards the 16 people, and at this moment, Lin Chen was truly in the operator’s position. He thought for a moment and said to Lin Chen, “The story you’ve told so far is very similar to what Fu Hao said. So, what happened next that even he didn’t know?”
“You can guess,” Lin Chen said.
“Up to now, two people haven’t spoken, Chen Yujun and Huang Weiwei,” Xing Conglian said.
“Yes.” Lin Chen nodded. “Chen Yujun and Huang Weiwei had been sitting quietly in the corner, not saying a word. At the moment I touched the lever, Young Master Zhou grabbed Huang Weiwei and made her answer a question.”
“What question?”
“He pointed to the unconscious people on the other side and raised a possibility. He said it’s possible that the culprit had already killed those 16 people with the so-called sleeping pills. So even if I killed a few to save the majority, it would be in vain. He asked Huang Weiwei to tell me that those people were already dead.”
Xing Conglian finally sensed something abnormal and became nervous. “Why did Young Master Zhou single out Huang Weiwei to ask?”
“Because Weiwei is a doctor.” Lin Chen’s tone was gentle, like an older brother addressing an adored younger sister.
Xing Conglian’s hand holding the beer can couldn’t help but tremble. Lin Chen said that he and Huang Weiwei were old acquaintances, and Lin Chen mentioned that she called him “Lin Gege”.
Of course, Xing Conglian knew that there was only a pure sibling relationship between Lin Chen and Huang Weiwei, but precisely because of its purity and affection, it made everything even more difficult.
“Since I appeared in front of them, Weiwei didn’t say a word to me, and I was like a coward, even afraid to look at her.” Lin Chen sniffled, then laughed. “Actually, we had a lot of fate together. She was my classmate in elementary school, and later, we attended the same university. I got to know Huang Ze because of her. Of course, I’m gay and not Weiwei’s type. She likes guys who are obedient like little dogs, have good muscles, and treat her well. She’s probably the most assertive girl I’ve ever seen. Her parents wanted her to study business and inherit the family business, but she insisted on becoming an obstetrician because she said she loved the joy of welcoming new life. She is very capable and has become a resident physician, so when Young Master Zhou asked her that way, she stood up and clearly told me that the chests of those people were still rising and falling, indicating they were still breathing. Those 16 people were still alive.”
When Lin Chen spoke of Huang Weiwei, he became a bit chatty. Xing Conglian even felt a moment of envy, but he was also happy. A girl whom Lin Chen admired would undoubtedly be upright and brave, making others admire her.
“What a great opportunity to survive! If the molten steel were poured down, who could tell if she was telling the truth? She’s so stubborn, as expected of Huang Ze’s little sister,” he said.
“Huang Ze is probably worlds apart from her.” Hearing this, Lin Chen curled his lips. “For example, if the kidnapped person was Huang Ze, he wouldn’t have noticed the abnormality of the only person who didn’t speak after answering the question.”
“What’s wrong with Chen Yujun?”
“In fact, there is a loophole in the culprit’s experiment, and as a mechanical engineer, Chen Yujun knew exactly where the loophole was. So he sat in the corner the whole time, and I think at that moment, he must have been struggling internally.”
“Did Huang Weiwei also notice the loophole?” Xing Conglian recalled Lin Chen’s experiences.
The balancing game, the suspended platform, and the thousand-degree molten steel overhead. The culprit had to ensure that everyone would obediently play the game. Therefore, there must be something intimidating the clear-minded young elites, making it difficult for the police to save them in a short time, even if they arrived on time.
Xing Conglian felt an icy chill throughout his body and suddenly understood everything.
He looked at his lover, sitting cross-legged beside him, and no longer wanted to hear any more.
He stood up abruptly and said to Lin Chen, “Alright, I already know. You don’t need to say anything more. Now let’s go solve the clues left by the culprit or anything else. You must not speak of this anymore; it’s all in the past!”
“It’s not in the past, and it can never be in the past.” Lin Chen gazed into the distance, almost speaking to himself. “When there was one minute left, Huang Weiwei crouched down and patted Chen Yujun’s face. Just like Young Master Zhou asked her a question, she also asked Chen Yujun a question. This question was short, she asked him, ‘Are we standing on a landmine?'”
“Lin Chen, stop talking!” Xing Conglian’s eyes were bloodshot, and he sternly interrupted.
“The experimenter must have an antisocial personality; he may never experience human emotions like love and kindness in his lifetime. Therefore, he inherently has a mistaken estimation of human nature, and that’s where the loophole lies.” Lin Chen looked straight at the sun in the sky without even blinking. “Human nature—the loophole is merely in human nature. There are too many people in this world who are inherently kind; they are willing to sacrifice their own lives for strangers.”
When Lin Chen reached this point, he finally turned his head. His eyes were red, but he held back his tears firmly. “You keep asking me about the choices I made back then. So, now I tell you, back then, I was a complete coward. I didn’t step forward to take the responsibility I should have borne; instead, someone stepped up and stood in front of me, protecting me with her life and soul. When there were 48 seconds left, Huang Weiwei jumped down from the sky, the balance board shifted, the landmines were triggered, and the molten steel fell from the sky, merging the four of them together…”
“Huang Weiwei pulled the lever for me.”
Lin Chen enunciated clearly and decisively, completing his statement word by word.
Xing Conglian wanted to take out a cigarette, but his hands trembled, and he couldn’t control himself. No matter how the truth was covered up, no matter what choices Lin Chen made, none of it mattered at all. He regretted listening to this story and regretted making Lin Chen relive the events of that year.
“You’re not a coward,” he said firmly, but he found himself choked up for the first time.
Lin Chen laughed at himself, finished the last sip of his drink, and looked up at the sky. “Huang Ze always asks me why I didn’t die. At the beginning, I was also thinking, yes, the one who should die should be me.” He clenched the beer can tightly but spoke calmly. “Huang Weiwei is also my sister, but I not only failed to fulfill my responsibility to protect her but also was taken care of by her. She didn’t even say a word to me until her death because she knew that whatever she said would become the words echoing endlessly in my nightmares. So, the smart girl smiled at me before she died, put a finger to her lips, telling me to keep my mouth shut, and then she jumped.”
Lin Chen turned his head and said with certainty, “That’s the covered-up truth. The radiant brilliance of human nature, both foolish and magnificent, shattered my desperate situation, broke the culprit’s carefully planned schemes. The video cannot be made public, and the hoped-for public opinion frenzy that the culprit wanted cannot continue—all because of human nature, which is truly beautiful.”
“I don’t know how much time she spent thinking and making up her mind, but it must have been very brief. But she even thought of the best way to handle things after this. It was something I couldn’t refuse and could only do it this way,” Lin Chen said. “So, I put my hand on the lever and replaced her as the murderer. I was criticized by four families, but I luckily escaped legal punishment. But only in this way, Weiwei wouldn’t become a saint in the eyes of the rational, nor would she become the noble murderer who callously deprived others of their lives to fulfill her own righteousness. She could quietly die as she wished, and this was what she wanted—the only thing I could do for her after being protected.” Lin Chen paused and calmly said, “That’s why the truth was covered up.”
Upon returning to the human world, the individuals were immediately covered with blankets by the staff of Shian. Without the enhancements from the Other Side, everyone who returned was naked.
Once separated from the environment of the Other Side, their bodies suddenly felt heavy. It was as if waking up from a drunken stupor, surrounded by a subtle dullness and a sense of unreality. Lu Xiaohe almost fell to the ground, but she managed to support her mother and stand firmly on her feet.
The next step was a continuous process from the hospital to the conference room. Lu Xiaohe sadly realized that she had become very accustomed to this route.
The surviving missing people, the survivors from the Other Side, and many more awaiting rescue were all repeatedly questioned. After leaving the Other Side, Lu Xiaohe spent almost three days in the conference room.
However, this time, she was no longer as anxious and restless as before.
Her mother lay peacefully in the hospital, with all her vital signs improving. Lu Xiaohe had never felt so relaxed; even if the world was crumbling before her, it couldn’t destroy her good mood.
……
That being said, the world wasn’t much different from destruction.
“The mild sources of corruption from Sunken Society have rapidly spread to other cities, and a monster with the ‘Resonance’ abilities has appeared in Haigu. The monster, suspected to be guided by Xiang Jiang, is active through the underground system and has yet to be captured by Shian.”
In the underground conference room, Li Nian calmly explained the current situation.
In front of him, the screen displayed various reports and discussions. The cunning corpse centipede never engaged in direct confrontation with Shian personnel. It would only occasionally show up in the middle of the night and quickly escape, letting everyone know that there were still “gods and ghosts” in this world.
With frequent gruesome murders and people’s unstable mental state, combined with the reshuffling of the worldview involving “monsters” and “angel’s arms”, the Shian personnel weren’t necessarily faring any better than those on the Other Side.
Lu Xiaohe couldn’t help but glance at Li Nian a few more times. When they were rescuing the survivors, Li Nian maintained a serious expression until the end. After confirming that he hadn’t missed anyone, he silently left.
When Xiao Zheng returned, he naturally mentioned Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng’s situation. Upon hearing that Meng Huai wanted to stay behind, Li Nian only paused his pen for a moment, not lifting his head. No one knew what he was thinking.
In comparison, Fu Xingchuan was much more straightforward. Upon realizing that Fu Tianyi hadn’t come out, he had a worried smile on his face.
“Now the whole country knows about the ‘angel’s arms’. The good news is that besides ‘knowing that it represents protection’, the situation hasn’t further deteriorated. Those who tried to establish a cult were all arrested. The bad news is that this information is still spreading, and we still don’t know what Love’s purpose is.”
Fu Xingchuan’s dark circles returned, even heavier than before.
“It doesn’t seem too serious?” Back in the human world, Ge Tingting could only rely on her phone to voice her thoughts.
The monsters didn’t destroy cities like in disaster movies, and the corruption sources remained at their initial levels, but there was now a mischievous corpse centipede causing trouble.
Li Nian glanced at Ge Tingting. “It’s precisely because it doesn’t appear serious that it is serious. Why do you think Shian is blocking the information and keeping the metaphysical practitioners hidden underground?”
Ge Tingting shook her head honestly.
“A major disaster can be resolved quickly. But with this continuous series of events, it becomes more difficult to clean up. The unstable environment inevitably affects people’s beliefs. Spreading information about gods and ghosts at this critical juncture will lead to a significant shift in people’s perceptions.”
“Society has its own order, and the law is also evolving, all based on the premise that ‘the majority of people do not believe’. The existing order and laws cannot withstand such abrupt changes… If things continue like this, societal chaos will only spiral out of control.”
Huang Jin silently pondered the possibility of evacuation. Since Ding Lizi’s eyes had also recovered, maybe he could take her to a deserted island for a year or so after he received his prize money.
Fu Xingchuan: “Our top priority now is to rescue those who are still trapped on the Other Side. Regarding this matter, I have a few proposals…”
While Fu Xingchuan spoke, Lu Xiaohe, unusually, became absent-minded.
Assisting Yin Ren with the help of Shian might be too ambitious. This was a battle at the level of a Primordial Elemental. In the past, she would probably have blindly followed the leader—helpless situations were just helpless situations.
But she once believed that her mother’s terminal illness was beyond human power.
Shian had its own arrangements, but she was still the rear commander of Unit 9. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were still her front-line team. The current her sat at the table, on equal footing with Shian’s two top human fighters.
Could she be even more “outrageous”?
“Our top priority should be addressing the root of the problem.” Lu Xiaohe deliberated before speaking up.
Fu Xingchuan was in the middle of speaking, but he looked at this usually obedient employee with a hint of surprise. Nevertheless, he interrupted his speech and nodded at Lu Xiaohe.
Lu Xiaohe interlocked her fingers and furrowed her brows slightly. “Addressing the corruption, tracking the monster, and rescuing the missing people—Shian has always been in a passive response. Sunken Society is using this method to buy time because it knows that compared to everything on the Other Side, Shian will prioritize the ‘human world’. If we don’t come up with an alternative, we will continue to be passive.”
“Wait.” Huang Jin hurriedly spoke up. “You don’t mean to have Shian support the Other Side, do you? Yes, Meng Huai and the others have developed some spells, but it still requires a significant number of personnel to perfect them! If we withdraw the cultivators from outside now…”
Lu Xiaohe shook her head. “I am a science post, and I can only speak from the perspective of a science post. It appears that Shian does have a clear potential ally—one that won’t cause manpower pressure or attract attention.”
“At present, the science post is relatively relaxed, so I suggest that the available senior science posts and the laboratory support Zhong Chengshuo. He already has considerable knowledge of the Other Side, and being a former Primordial Elemental, his thinking is certainly broader than that of humans.”
Lu Xiaohe’s tone was very solemn.
“This is my judgment as the rear commander.”
Fu Xingchuan raised an eyebrow and stroked his stubbled chin. Li Nian lowered his eyes, adding another layer of shadow to his already troubled expression.
Only Comrade Huang Jin persistently challenged. “If Zhong Chengshuo is on the Other Side, will Qi Xin readily assist us in opening and closing the door?”
“We don’t need to have direct contact with him.” Lu Xiaohe turned her head. “We just need data exchange, and there will always be a way.”
“Are you sure he will assist the human world?”
Hearing this, Li Nian finally spoke quietly.
“Yin Ren is currently being trained by Qi Xin. The likelihood of Zhong Chengshuo, as a fellow Primordial Elemental, providing support is higher.”
Lu Xiaohe: “Uh…”
“Zhong Chengshuo isn’t a human. At this critical moment, asking him to turn around and study the human world may not be what he desires. Your proposal is good, but unfortunately, the reasoning is insufficient.”
“I…” Lu Xiaohe’s voice trailed off sadly.
Yes, Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t human. When they were together, she always seemed to forget that. To explain to Shian, she needed to find a way to present it as feasible…
Fu Xingchuan cleared his throat, preparing to continue explaining the rescue plan. Just then, his phone started vibrating like crazy.
Minister Fu answered with a troubled expression, but after a few sentences, his face gradually froze, and his eyes turned to Lu Xiaohe.
“Miss Gao, you dreamt of Zhong Chengshuo and a black cat? He was clinging to the window and said he wanted to talk to Shian?”
“Hold on, don’t go back to sleep… Wait!”
……
Zhong Chengshuo firmly clung to the window.
He held onto the windowsill with both hands, looking sincere, while Dr. Cat sat steadily on the windowsill—both of them looking towards Gao Mengyu inside the house.
Gao Mengyue had long grown accustomed to this dream. Since she discovered that it was the real Qiqi outside her door, she no longer feared the recurring dream. Over time, she even learned to pet the cat’s soft limbs in her dream while reviewing knowledge points for the postgraduate entrance examination.
But today, her dream had two unexpected visitors.
“I just called the people from Shian, and they will send someone soon.” After getting Qiqi’s affirmation, Gao Mengyu opened the window. Dr. Cat leaped into the room, surveying the small apartment.
“I see. It seems feasible to enter dreams in a physical sense.” It lay down on Gao Mengyu’s desk with its tail swaying from side to side. “Those ‘Lonely’ cats are quite useful.”
In recent days, the Lonely cats had been crawling all over the human stronghold—their fleshy limbs flailing in fear of the large number of corpses in the cold storage. Despite this, most of the Lonely cats didn’t dare go out due to the constant surveillance of the forces of Love.
Only Gao Mengyu’s cat took advantage of its physical strength and dived into “Satisfaction” every day, tirelessly warning Gao Mengyu.
At first, Dr. Meiqiu just hitched a ride and collected data on its own. Who would have thought that today, even this Old Fear had infiltrated its fleshy limbs and smuggled himself into “Satisfaction”.
Although she knew it was a dream, Gao Mengyu still poured a glass of water for Zhong Chengshuo and opened a can of meat for Meiqiu. Gao Mengyu’s cat, Qiqi, entered through the door and comfortably sprawled in the middle of the room.
“Where’s Yin Ren?” she politely asked.
Zhong Chengshuo: “He’s recuperating.” More accurately, he was scavenging for food and then running away.
Gao Mengyu had no knowledge of the situation on the Other Side. “Are you saying that you want to talk to Shian and everyone is fine?”
“Everyone is fine. I just have something I want to discuss with them,” Zhong Chengshuo said, pushing his glasses up. “You mentioned bringing someone. Who would that be?”
“It’s me.” Fu Xingchuan appeared in the center of the room.
This should have been a handsome entrance, but it was a pity Minster Fu stepped on a sprawled-out Lonely cat. Gao Mengyu’s cat let out a loud “meow” as several fleshy limbs fiercely struck Fu Xingchuan’s back.
Startled, Fu Xingchuan and the cat instantly engaged in a one-on-one battle inside the apartment.
Zhong Chengshuo patiently held his cup of water, waiting for the two to calm down. Dr. Cat, on the other hand, calmly began licking its paws, ignoring the man and Lonely cat that was wrestling.
“…So, what do you want with Shian?”
After about half a minute of struggling, Fu Xingchuan sat down on the ground, panting heavily.
“I want data,”
Zhong Chengshuo sincerely looked down at Fu Xingchuan and started to count on his fingers.
“All the research materials of the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi; the ghost fetus data recorded by Shian in the Archive regarding the Guo Laifu case; and the blood sample analysis data of Shian on me and Yin Ren, especially the latter—the more detailed, the better.”
Fu Xingchuan: “……” While he didn’t fully understand this science post, he could sense a hint of meaning.
Whether it was Shian, the Primordial Elementals, or Zhong Chengshuo himself, they all believed that Yin Ren was the cub of “Fear”. Why did Zhong Chengshuo suddenly request this data again at this critical juncture?
Back then, “Fear” split off its power to Yin Ren, giving birth to a brand new “Fear”. Later, Zhong Chengshuo, as the old Fear, merged with a human, and Yin Ren developed as the cub of Fear. Most of the process had also been observed in the memory world.
The subtle rejection between the two also corresponded to the characteristics of the Primordial Elementals that Meng Huai discovered on the Other Side.
Even if there were deviations, they could be attributed to individual differences. Fu Xingchuan pondered but couldn’t come up with any worthwhile insights.
“Why do you suddenly need all this?” Fu Xingchuan asked decisively. “If you want to study yourself and regain your powers, I can understand that.”
“When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call it a duck*.” Zhong Chengshuo tightened his grip on the cup in his hand. “This method may be effective, but it doesn’t apply to biology.”
Zhong Chengshuo once had spoken one-on-one with Qi Xin about the peculiarities of Yin Ren. At that time, she had made it clear that she didn’t care who Yin Ren was and only wanted to solve the problems on the Other Side. However, in their previous encounters, although Qi Xin didn’t say much, she clearly showed fear and concern towards Yin Ren.
“Now Yin Ren is focused on gaining power, so there’s no time to worry about trivial details, but I cannot afford to overlook them.”
Zhong Chengshuo looked at his own hands.
What if Yin Ren was meant to be a bird that flew in the sky but now clumsily tried to imitate swimming? What if Yin Ren’s fatal weakness was different from “Fear”? What if Qi Xin had discovered something before him and betrayed them at the crucial moment, leading to a disastrous outcome?
“I used to think that as long as I provided strong support, I could help him. Now it seems that it’s far from enough…”
Even though he had retrieved the authority of “Fear” through the Karma Lantern, that hollow feeling of powerlessness hadn’t disappeared; it had become even more apparent.
Fu Xingchuan observed this ancient Primordial Elemental.
The sleeves of his white-lined robe were slightly long, with a few folds piled up near the cup. Zhong Chengshuo furrowed his brow, showing genuine distress.
The first time Fu Xingchuan saw Zhong Chengshuo, this person exuded an air of “ease and confidence” from head to toe. But now, he seemed somewhat helpless, resembling a young person in their thirties.
“Alright, I understand.” Fu Xingchuan snorted. “Shian will provide you with all the data you need, and we will arrange for people to come here to exchange information with you. If necessary, you can access the highest-level laboratories and researchers.”
“But I heard that Meiqiu has been researching the ‘angel’s arm’ recently. If needed, please assist him,” Fu Xingchuan added meaningfully.
“No problem.” This time, Zhong Chengshuo responded quickly.
“Lu Xiaohe just mentioned it recently, that we should support your possible research.” Fu Xingchuan smiled. “Your team seems to have good coordination.”
“Please thank her for me,” Zhong Chengshuo said, bowing his head sincerely.
With a helpful assistant acquired, Meiqiu’s tail curled up straight, and it contentedly started purring.
Fu Xingchuan nodded to the two of them and disappeared on the spot. Not far away, Gao Mengyu took off her earphones and closed the graduate entrance exam materials in her hand. “Have you finished discussing?”
“Almost. I just have one more question.”
The black cat jumped onto Zhong Chengshuo’s knee and looked at him with its round eyes.
“Even if you’re incredibly bored, you wouldn’t negotiate with Shian without any clues. Hey, do you have some kind of lead?”
Zhong Chengshuo lowered his gaze, and the reflection of the black cat appeared in his eyes.
“It’s just an insignificant conjecture,” he said.
Indeed, it was an insignificant conjecture. Taking advantage of Yin Ren being away for treatment, Zhong Chengshuo locked himself in a solitary space of imagination, thoroughly chewing on every memory related to Yin Ren, hoping to find even the tiniest clue.
And he did find something.
It was just a subtle feeling.
A long time ago, in the Archive, he encountered the most beautiful monster in the world. Zhong Chengshuo remembered the mottled red veil, the sea-like black wings… and the hundreds of pale arms protruding beneath the veil.
It was their first day of interaction, and he had gently pressed his hand against that enormous palm.
And not long ago, while curled up amidst a sea of wings, a pale arm suddenly attacked, narrowly brushing past him.
The broken figure of Hu Tao disappeared in place, and the white arm that was dwelling on her back suddenly shattered.
Like a crumbled marble sculpture, it scattered into palm-sized pale flesh chunks, rolling all over the ground. A tremendous force erupted, severely disrupting the surroundings. Zhong Chengshuo could no longer concentrate his imagination due to the severe disturbance, and the camouflage around him collapsed in an instant.
“Run!” Yin Ren grabbed Zhong Chengshuo’s wrist.
The two took out their photos and, following the directions in the comments, sprinted towards the exit.
Yin Ren didn’t use any magic anymore; he relied solely on his physical abilities to dash through the clusters of white. Despite his astonishing athletic ability, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t keep up with the evil that had been bounding through the mountains and forests for three hundred years. Eventually, Yin Ren practically had to drag him along.
“Why…” The atmosphere was off. Zhong Chengshuo managed to squeeze out the question amidst the jostling.
Yin Ren didn’t answer. He had sprinted ahead of Zhong Chengshuo, so Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t see his lover’s face.
Hu Tao was a fierce ghost. Although she had been a “neighbor” for some time, Zhong Chengshuo hadn’t really seen her much. He had only recently experienced emotions, so he didn’t have much deep attachment to Hu Tao.
She had left, and he would remember, but it was just a faint regret once the dust settled.
But Yin Ren was different from him. The small Yin Village from thousands of years ago could still make the Great Celestial Master wipe out tens of thousands of troops. Yin Ren had always been open about his emotions, and now that he had lost the familiar Hu Tao like this, he was definitely deeply concerned.
Moreover, since they started acting together, Yin Ren had never left him behind like this.
Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t ignore this abnormality.
“Why?” he persistently asked.
“She was exposed to too much Evil Force.” Yin Ren’s tone was eerily calm. “Even if Love immediately gave up on her, I couldn’t bring her back to her previous state. Allowing her to rest in peace early is the only way.”
The snowy landscape quickly retreated around the two, and in the blur, silence persisted for a few seconds.
Zhong Chengshuo let out an “oh”. “I know. That’s not what I’m asking.”
Yin Ren fell silent for a while. When he spoke again, his voice was somewhat hoarse. “As ‘King Yama’, you must have similar judgments. But when it comes to the decision to ‘save her’, I don’t want your opinion mixed in. I sent her away myself, and I will remember that.”
“Because you want to firmly blame yourself?” Zhong Chengshuo pondered with difficulty.
“I’ve never liked casually releasing fierce ghosts.” Yin Ren paused for a moment and answered rhetorically. “As long as they continue to exist, they will always find something.”
Zhong Chengshuo made a somewhat incomprehensible “mm” sound and didn’t ask any more questions. Yin Ren then accelerated his pace, swallowing the sourness in his throat.
Whether it was letting go of attachments and finding liberation or gradually fading away and being forgotten over a long period of time, fierce ghosts would eventually find one or two useless yet comfortable moments during their lengthy journey entangled by attachments.
Yin Ren liked these moments the most. They might be insignificant and meaningless, but they could turn “existence” into “life”.
Just like a thousand years ago, the candy specially heated at the doorstep of Yin Village and arranged into comical shapes by children.
In room 601, Building 4 of Ping’an Manor would no longer have anyone competing with him for the tablet to watch dramas, nor would anyone point out things and share random life experiences about his online shopping cart.
“…Zhong Ge.”
“Yeah?”
“The struggle with Love is now my ‘personal grudge’,” Yin Ren said. “Since it wants to find out our abilities, I’ll let it see clearly—under no circumstances should you bring out your Karma Lantern.”
“But—”
“Love is powerful, but its true form isn’t present. Otherwise, there would be no need to use Hu Tao to buy time,” Yin Ren said. “Since its true form isn’t here, I know what I need to do.”
In an instant, darkness covered the snowy world.
……
“You’re back? Where’s Yin Ren?” Lu Xiaohe looked surprised at Ge Tingting and Huang Jin.
“Huang Jin” smiled faintly. “I think they’ll be here soon. Love’s power just collapsed, so it must have suffered a setback.”
Hearing the tone, Lu Xiaohe immediately caught on. “Qi Xin.”
“Listen carefully.” With Huang Jin’s face, Qi Xin slightly raised her chin with a hint of arrogance. “You came to me for help, and I did what I needed to do. I won’t interfere in other matters. I’m just a projection here, with limited abilities. Even if you turn to Yin Ren… Huh?!”
Before she could finish speaking, everything in front of her turned into pure darkness. This time, it wasn’t the legion of cats submerging everyone, but a soft and warm mass of wings.
Yin Ren.
As they reached the exit zone at the center of the cocoon, the mass of wings suddenly appeared and swiftly expanded. It enveloped all living beings at the fastest speed, desperately trying to drill towards the exit. For some reason, Yin Ren didn’t use his transformed appearance; he still had that old appearance resembling the “cub of Fear”.
On the other side of the exit, Fu Tianyi was busy using his sword to break through the cocoon. The weak spot became the breakthrough point. The dark mass of wings burst out from within, directly stunning Fu Tianyi with a physical blow.
When Meng Huai and her companions saw a beam of darkness breaking through the cocoon, their expressions changed drastically. Unfortunately, there were wolves in front and tigers in the back. They were surrounded by countless Elementals. The darkness, accompanied by mist, instantly sealed them off completely.
Yin Ren used himself as armor to protect hundreds of humans within. Countless masses of wings rushed towards the surrounding army of Elementals, tearing open a path of escape.
As if sensing the intense turmoil, a snowy white mist gradually permeated the surface of the hemisphere. Countless arms extended from its surface, fiercely grabbing at the mass of wings.
In an instant, the outermost layer of the mass of wings tore and became damaged. The surrounding Elementals swarmed like bloodthirsty flies, voraciously devouring the damaged wings.
With an army of Elementals attacking from the front and countless arms tearing at them from behind, that pitch-black mass of wings showed no intention to fight back. It struggled and dashed as if it didn’t know the meaning of pain, like a shark caught in a fishing net, desperate for survival.
Zhong Chengshuo, once again disguised as Yin Ren through his imagination, was hidden deep within the mass of wings. He widened his eyes, desperately trying to activate his true sight and survey the surrounding situation.
Zhong Chengshuo could understand Yin Ren’s thoughts.
With the sudden loss of Hu Tao as its vessel, Love had no time to react. If they delayed any longer, Huang Jin and Ge Tingting might become its new targets.
To preserve their trump card, they had to escape as quickly as possible.
The surrounding army of Elementals was numerous, but they couldn’t withstand the massive size of the wings. In an instant, the eyeball barrier shattered, and countless limbs were twisted off.
Various attacks came rushing at them, but the mass of wings consumed all the physical attacks, rendering emotional resonance and cognitive distortion useless. The encirclement of the Elementals was on the verge of collapse.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, the giant hemisphere within the white net finally reacted.
Bang!
A horrifying dull sound came from the depths of the giant hemisphere.
The arms on the surface of the hemisphere wildly extended, almost piercing through that black mass like countless arrows. One of the arms almost grazed Zhong Chengshuo as it passed through.
Zhong Chengshuo placed one hand on the Karma Lantern and tightly clenched his fist with the other hand.
Bang!
An indescribable sense of oppression rose from the interior of the hemisphere. It was so close that it made one’s hair stand on end, yet it felt distant, as if it was in another space.
Countless arms seemed to be injected with chicken blood*. That black mass was torn apart by one-third. However, Yin Ren didn’t let go of the person he was holding tightly, nor did he slow down their escape. With a kind of almost fanatical determination, he bit down on one direction, voraciously devouring the nearby Elementals.
*Metaphor referring to become excited or insane.
Zhong Chengshuo held onto the lantern tightly.
Seeing the mass of wings he normally cautiously embraced being torn apart, Zhong Chengshuo felt so devastated that even breathing became difficult. But he had to observe everything, not missing any details.
Bang!
Countless arms entangled and transformed into several giant hands, fiercely squeezing the black mass.
At the same time, a breach finally appeared in the encirclement of the Elementals. Like a breached flood, the sea of wings broke free from the encirclement and swiftly flowed down from the web crawling with Elementals, rushing towards the distance.
Then it disappeared without a trace.
……
As soon as they had transferred to a relatively safe area, Yin Ren returned to his human form. His skin and flesh turned over, creating a terrifying appearance.
Once everyone’s consciousness in Shian was restored, Yin Ren’s gaze directly locked onto “Huang Jin”. “Quickly escort everyone out.”
Love’s plan to trap them had failed, and it would undoubtedly send its Elementals to search in all directions. From Lu Xiaohe’s mother to over a hundred missing individuals, Yin Ren brought them out of the cocoon, and they couldn’t be left unattended.
Qi Xin decisively released the body she was possessing, revealing her figure in the mist and using her foot to nudge Huang Jin, who was lying limp on the ground.
She cast an annoyed glance at the numerous missing individuals scattered on the ground, then looked over at Yin Ren, covered in wounds. “It was unnecessary. You wouldn’t have ended up in such a sorry state.”
“The sorrier, the better,” Yin Ren said.
“For humans, perhaps,” Qi Xin replied.
Qi Xin stepped over the bodies of the missing individuals and stopped in front of Yin Ren. Her face was as cold as snow, and her voice shifted to a mental transmission.
[I trained you not to win over Love with flowery words. You should suppress it comprehensively, destroy it head-on—that’s the “Fear” I expect from you.]
A smile appeared on Yin Ren’s heavily scarred face. [Yes, I should have given it my all just now to show you clearly—see what Love wants to do, and what exactly I am, so that you can choose the next course of action.]
Qi Xin narrowed her eyes.
“Please send these people away, Qi Xin,” Yin Ren said with a smile on his face, but there was no humor in his voice. “I’m sorry, but at least for now, I can’t give you any reason to not lean towards Love.”
“Indeed, Fear without a brain is more reasonable,” she sighed softly. “I have only one request…”
“I will stay,” Yin Ren interrupted. “Not just to heal my injuries, but also to remain on the Other Side.”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Chengshuo took a few steps, supporting the heavily injured Yin Ren and silently showing his support.
Qi Xin didn’t waste any more words. With a sigh, the group was teleported to the courtyard of the Lonely cats.
“Keep watch around us,” Qi Xin threw a command to Gao Mengyu’s cat.
Amidst the curious crowd, Qi Xin once again contorted her body. Accompanied by successive explosions, her flesh twisted into a horrifying ring. Within the distorted scene, gradually transforming into a vortex, it connected to the “Other Side passage” beneath Shian.
The first to be sent out were the missing individuals.
One by one, the weak people were sent away from the Other Side, awaiting Shian’s rescue. When it came time to send Lu Xiaohe’s mother, Yin Ren stopped Lu Xiaohe, who was helping with the evacuation.
He placed his hand on Lu Xiaohe’s mother’s chest, and red silk surged, permeating into her body like clouds and mist.
“She’ll be fine.” Yin Ren’s voice softened. “After she’s out, have Shian’s people take a look. Xiaohe Jie, your wish has been fulfilled.”
Lu Xiaohe opened her mouth, seeming to have countless words she wanted to say, but nothing came out.
In the end, she just nodded heavily, holding her mother, and left the Other Side.
Ge Tingting pulled the unconscious Huang Jin. “Yin Ge, you…”
“I’ll be fine. You all should go back and rest,” Yin Ren said with another smile. “After learning so much on the Other Side, it’s time for you to inform Shian as well.”
Zhong Chengshuo looked at Yin Ren with a complicated gaze.
Currently, they needed Qi Xin’s assistance to enter and exit the Other Side. Considering Qi Xin’s lack of empathy towards humans, if she were to break ties with Yin Ren, the people left behind wouldn’t know how long it would take for them to leave.
“Well, bring Xiao Zheng and Chengfeng with you too. They’ve remembered what had accumulated over the years.” Meng Huai crossed her arms and spoke casually. “I’ll stay behind to guard. Shian needs someone on the frontlines.”
“I’m not leaving. You need a partner.” Zhong Chengfeng shook her head. “I know what you’re worried about—you’re afraid that if you go back, you won’t want to come back again.”
Meng Huai clicked her tongue. “It’s been so many years. A little delay in going back won’t make a difference. You talk too much.”
“Whether I’m willing or not, it’s the same for you,” she muttered under her breath.
The missing individuals sank into their dreams, one by one disappearing into the passage. Strangely, no one showed a joyful expression—time on the Other Side was almost stagnant, while time in the outside world passed leisurely. At this moment, it might not be considered a definitive and satisfactory conclusion.
Zhong Chengshuo surveyed his surroundings. The courtyard that was filled with people moments ago now appeared empty. Apart from Yin Ren, himself, and Qi Xin, the three remaining Elementals, there were only Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng, Fu Tianyi, and Dr. Cat.
“At least the task of finding people is over.”
Fu Tianyi took a deep breath. He stood up straight, showing a bit of the dignity of the Fu family.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t of much help this time. Next time…”
A sharp screech from the “Lonelies” came from the outside world. Qi Xin’s twisted ring trembled, and the vortex in the center fluctuated violently. Then the flesh ring deformed and expanded, accompanied by the squeezing sound of space closing, and the exit vanished without a trace.
At the same time, the courtyard gradually became shrouded in shadows as a large number of Elementals rushed toward it.
The Lonely cats ran around the ground, picking up tablecloths and kittens, trying to hide themselves behind larger cats.
The largest “Lonely”—Gao Mengyu’s cat—quickly moved, using Yin Ren to block its massive self.
Fu Tianyi: “?”
What about his way back home?
“They’re pretty quick.” Yin Ren sneered. “Meng Jie, it’s too dangerous for you to stay with us. It’s best to leave early.”
Meng Huai lifted her eyelids. “Oh.”
She took out a large amount of Elemental flesh and smeared it on the ground, expanding and contracting it.
In the next moment, the earth trembled, and the surrounding space cracked like fish scales. Zhong Chengshuo instinctively held onto Yin Ren, and the two of them were then pressed down by a large pile of sticky flesh and limbs. After struggling for a while, they finally managed to poke their heads out from under the group of cats.
Before them, astonishingly, was Meng Huai’s stronghold.
Fu Tianyi held Dr. Cat in his arms with an expression mixed with conflict and bitterness. The entire courtyard of Lonely cats was crammed into the room, making the once spacious room feel somewhat crowded. The Lonely cats stood dazed for a moment before curiously crawling around.
In an instant, the original small courtyard was empty, leaving only one person.
Qi Xin looked up, meeting the incoming army of Elementals head-on.
“Heh, humans,” Qi Xin remarked.
She rolled her eyes and disappeared into the depths of the mist.
After Yin Ci left, the abbot’s room became quiet for a while.
Juehui’s bitter melon face became even more bitter, and he turned to Abbot Juefei. “Senior Brother, what’s the meaning of this?”
“Juehui, do you know how one becomes a demon? Yan Budu has committed countless evils, but once he enters the Buddha’s Heart Formation, he may not necessarily have an inner demon—both extreme goodness and extreme evil are transparent, with few doubts. But the inner demon itself is an unsolvable problem and an inescapable suffering, asking the heavens for answers.”
Abbot Juefei showed a complicated expression.
“Those who possess an inner demon are either good people turning to evil or evil people attempting to awaken. One must be strong and persistent. The causes and conditions are intricate and difficult to unravel, gathering great karmic obstacles, only driving people towards madness and chaos.”
Juehui understood. “What you asked at the end, is it for the sake of sentient beings? Perhaps Patron Yin has ‘turned from good to evil’. He still has a faint karmic bond that hasn’t been severed. If we lend him a hand, it might be possible to dispel that inner demon.”
“That’s right. However, I haven’t heard of any earth-shattering tragedies in recent decades, nor have I encountered such a formidable master. I truly can’t fathom Patron Yin’s situation.”
Abbot Juefei counted his prayer beads, and his smile was tinged with bitterness.
“Never mind, after I finish writing the introduction letter, you gather the records of Martial Uncle and the Taiheng confidential letter. Tomorrow, I will hand them over together… The Sect Master’s inner demon is significant, but it is clean and pure. For now, we need not worry. However, white is the color most prone to dust. Such is fate for master and disciple to meet.”
Juehui softly chanted a Buddhist mantra.
“Your little disciple, Zhixing, right? Perhaps meeting in the Ghost Tomb was also fate. After tomorrow, have him prepare well and send all the members of the Kushan Sect down the mountain.”
“Yes.”
It was mid-afternoon, and the sunlight was perfect.
When Yin Ci returned to his guest room, the two servants finally snapped out of it and were exuberantly expressing their excitement.
Yan Qing had applied medicine to his injured foot. He wiped the stone sword clean and placed it in the brightest spot, almost ready to offer a few sticks of incense. Su Si, on the other hand, didn’t like the sword at all and complained that it was occupying the sunny spot where he wanted to bask. The two of them laughed and bickered, creating a noisy scene.
Upon seeing Yin Ci enter the room, both of them unconsciously lowered their voices.
Even though Yin Ci didn’t appear much older, considering Yin Ci’s inner demon, Yan Qing and Su Si regarded him as an elder.
Yin Ci didn’t want to pretend and deal with too many people. He quite appreciated their perceptiveness. He put on the appearance of a “senior disciple of the Kushan Sect” and said, “These past few days, you have endured the afflictions of greed, hatred, and ignorance and have also experienced the Sword of Compassion. You have suffered quite a bit. Seeing that the Jianchen Temple is quiet and suitable for recuperation, today, rest well.”
Yan Qing nodded with joy, while Su Si immediately flopped onto the couch. “Finally, a moment of peace and quiet.”
Yin Ci smiled and entered the inner room, closing the partition door.
“You’re back? …Hiss!”
Shi Jingzhi grimaced as he tended to his burned palms. Seeing Yin Ci, he intended to put on a nonchalant facade. However, as he raised his hand, the medicine splashed a bit more, causing Shi Jingzhi to inhale sharply, almost biting his own tongue.
His hands were a bloody mess, making it inconvenient to move, and the distinctive smell of burns permeated the air. Yin Ci simply dragged over a chair and sat beside Shi Jingzhi. “Hands.”
“I’m almost done wrapping it.”
“Start over. Don’t underestimate hand injuries. A slight deviation when facing an enemy is enough to cost you your life.”
Shi Jingzhi hesitated for a moment, then obediently spread out his hands. His fingers were long and powerful, but they were covered in festering burns, which looked quite horrifying at first glance.
Yin Ci shook his head. “Even if the root of the ailment isn’t left behind, it will leave scars. If you end up with all sorts of messy scars in the future…”
“‘I won’t be liked by little girls in the future’?” Following a fragment of memory, Shi Jingzhi blurted out.
Whether it was Shi Jingzhi’s illusion or not, when he said those words, Yin Ci’s gaze softened a bit.
He resumed his indifferent demeanor, teasingly saying, “I was originally going to say, ‘It’ll be easy to let the flag slip while holding it in the future’. As long as Shizun doesn’t have a short life, even if hair grows on both hands, there will still be girls who will like you.”
As he spoke, Yin Ci carefully opened the wound, neither too gentle nor too forceful, applying the medicine just right.
Shi Jingzhi’s hands didn’t move. “I see people in the world come and go, but in my heart, there’s only room for a few. I’m not good at handling these things. It’s too much to chew on. If I can make A’Ci happy, that’s enough for me.”
“‘Too much to chew on’? Shizun, be careful not to choke.”
Yin Ci chuckled and carefully wrapped the wound with the well-applied medicine.
“…Alright, don’t move around for the next two days, and don’t use chopsticks either. I’ll make some spoon-friendly meals. Why don’t you take a nap first to rest?”
Shi Jingzhi felt a little disappointed. “No more playing with the sand table?”
“Mm, after all, someone didn’t listen to advice.”
“But you were so focused when playing with the sand table. I’ve never seen you so happy before.”
Yin Ci’s heart softened, and he relaxed a bit. “Let’s talk about it when your hand is better.”
Shi Jingzhi didn’t end up taking a nap after all. He leaned on the table, lost in thought, his face full of contemplation. Yin Ci, bored to the extreme, leaned against the window and admired the scenery—perhaps influenced by Shi Jingzhi’s earlier discussion of the scenery, now that they were in a new place, he couldn’t help but appreciate the view.
Indeed, the view outside the window was splendid. The light illuminated the extraordinary rocks, and the wind swayed the bamboo, truly calming the mind.
“I’ve come up with a brilliant idea.” After a moment, Shi Jingzhi suddenly straightened his back. “A’Ci, Yan Qing has the weakest foundation in our sect, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to teach him directly. Since we both have free time, let’s create a fake secret manual that suits him. We can say it was given by Venerable Juefei and have Su Si help him practice it.”
Yin Ci: “…”
Yin Ci: “Didn’t I tell you to take a nap in bed?” Why are you talking nonsense in broad daylight?
Shi Jingzhi stood up determinedly. “I’m not joking. Although the level of cultivation techniques themselves may vary, they should also be compatible with a person’s nature.”
“Su Si is cunning and overly cautious. He’s naturally gifted with powerful hands, so the Chigou Sect’s Red Chi Hand technique is the most suitable for him to practice. But if we let Yan Qing learn it, given his honest nature, he’ll only end up with a clumsy version. A’Ci, you lack inner force, but your external martial arts are exceptional, making the complex and bizarre Bone Sweeping Sword technique a perfect fit. Yan Qing with the Sword of Compassion—even if he trains hard, he can only learn a scraping technique.”
“The secret manuals that are widely circulated in the martial world may be more suitable for a larger number of people and yield better results. But as you surely understand, such cultivation techniques cannot produce truly top-notch masters.”
Yin Ci: “…Shizun, do you still remember? Yan Qing is just a servant of the Kushan Sect.”
Shi Jingzhi’s expression turned serious. “Venerable Kongshi was a great monk, and we can’t let his sword be disgraced. Sand table battles are battles, and honing techniques through sparring is also a battle. In this way, we can continue our exchanges.”
Right. Yan Qing was given the Sword of Compassion, and this person just wanted to keep playing.
Yin Ci pondered for a while and felt that he was probably a little crazy too. He found Shi Jingzhi’s proposal oddly intriguing. He pushed aside the absurd idea and helplessly said, “Shizun, there’s no need to go to such lengths. You previously mentioned that I should teach him when I have time, so I’ll just teach him directly.”
“Did I say that? Then let’s pretend I didn’t say it. A’Ci’s strength is profound, and it’s enough for me to be the only one who knows.”
“…”
‘Well, that works too,’ Yin Ci thought. He had lived for hundreds of years and had never done such a ridiculous thing.
The master and disciple decided to take action. They first sent the two servants away, then asked the monks for old paper, ink, and worn-out cloth.
The Sutra Cleansing Session was in progress, and many old scriptures needed repair. They had everything they needed. The monks, with kind hearts, although perplexed, still fulfilled Shi Jingzhi’s requests one by one.
“Let’s call it the ‘White Jade Green Knife’ technique. After all, A’Ci, you have the Bone Sweeping Sword technique.” Shi Jingzhi picked up a pen and generously suggested, “No, the Sword of Compassion is a sword, so let’s call it the ‘White Jade Green Sword’ technique…”
This person’s obsession with tofu and cabbage was alarming. Yin Ci rubbed his forehead. “Tonight, I’ll cook you pearl jade white jade soup. How about changing the name?”
“That’s true; four characters are a bit long. How about the White Green Sword technique? Green Jade Sword technique?”
“How about the ‘Jade Chime Sword’ technique? It is said, ‘Hold the jade hammer, strike the chime, and the sound will be heard in the three thousand worlds*.’ It suits the sword.”
*Metaphorically, this sentence refers to the idea of making a significant impact or achieving a widespread effect that reaches far beyond one’s immediate surroundings or circumstances.
Shi Jingzhi beamed with a smile and swiftly wrote it down. “That’s it.”
The four characters of “Jade Chime Sword Technique” appeared on the paper with powerful strokes.
Immediately, the two of them cleared the space in the inner room and started contemplating the content. Yin Ci picked up a broom as a giant sword, while Shi Jingzhi tied a scroll of paper around his arm as a weapon. They began practicing their moves in a lifelike manner.
Shi Jingzhi had never stopped practicing. After several days, his movements weren’t yet proficient, but he had a solid grasp of the slow-motion techniques. Stepping on the fragmented sunlight of the afternoon, they exchanged moves, resembling a graceful dance of sorts.
Shi Jingzhi turned briskly. “There are only a few major categories of footwork theories. The stone sword is too heavy, so it’s better to use a more agile style that suits a stable mold.”
“Yes, but Yan Qing has a big stride and lacks flexibility… We need to make adjustments here.” Yin Ci supported him by placing a hand on his back and pushing upward, grabbing a handful of his cool and silky hair.
As the sun began to set, the footwork took shape.
The two no longer rotated their bodies or made probing steps but clashed their sword techniques.
“No, the move you just made was too complicated. Yan Qing has a straightforward mind, so big, sweeping motions are better. Here, let me attack again, and you defend and observe.” Shi Jingzhi brandished the paper scroll with a vigorous aura. “This time, I’ll use the Green Maiden Sword technique.”
Swish.
Fire flashed, accompanied by dispersing black smoke. Shi Jingzhi became too immersed in the movements, and one end of the paper scroll ignited with a crackling sound. He quickly shook it off his arm and stomped on it with his boot, narrowly avoiding burning his sleeve.
Seeing him hurriedly extinguish the fire and then retying the paper scroll, Yin Ci burst into laughter.
“Skillful but not delicate. Indeed, the heavy sword techniques don’t require too much complexity. However, this sword is about self-questioning. If the sword technique relies too much on the sword, it’s prone to becoming an obsession. Hmm, I’ll think about it some more.”
“Zheng Fengdao may be a defeated opponent under me, but he has a move that is quite mysterious. Come, A’Ci, let me demonstrate it to you. It might give you some inspiration… Oh, wait a moment, I’ll make the paper scroll longer.”
As the crescent moon rose, the form began to take shape.
“That move just now had some flaws.”
“Oh? Shizun, you dare to criticize.”
“Flaws are flaws, and when it comes to theories, I won’t lose to you. Watch closely, A’Ci. I will defeat your style within ten moves. The Sword of Compassion isn’t a real broom. It’s quite wide.”
“Ten moves it is.”
Their robes intertwined, and their steps were like the wind. The two engaged in a non-lethal battle, with paper meeting feathers yet still exuding a sense of heaviness. Shi Jingzhi lacked experience, and his theoretical knowledge couldn’t withstand actual combat. On the ninth move, Yin Ci shamelessly executed a reverse move, causing Shi Jingzhi’s footwork to falter, and he toppled backward.
Yin Ci rolled up his sleeves and hooked his hand, swaying over to Shi Jingzhi’s side. He supported his teetering master. “Admitting defeat?”
Shi Jingzhi brushed aside the hair falling in front of his eyes, his face filled with a spring breeze. “Your move was too cunning, not in line with the Jade Chime Sword technique. It’s you who lost.”
“Verbal games have no place on the battlefield. How about we have another round?”
“Certainly.”
As the stars rose and the moon set, they carefully refined their techniques.
The two of them battled fiercely for half a day and a night, exploring three sword styles. It wasn’t until the eastern sky began to brighten that Yin Ci realized something was amiss—
He had fallen into Shi Jingzhi’s trap. Engaging in combat and honing techniques was incredibly fascinating, and he had become entranced, unaware of how much time he had spent with this person in absurdity.
Shi Jingzhi neatly hung the final “manual” to dry and stitched it into a booklet. While using inner force to bake the fake manual, he cast a sidelong glance at Yin Ci with a clear sense of triumph in his eyes.
“Did A’Ci have fun?”
“Actions contradicting words should be punished. Shizun, let’s have breakfast together at the temple tomorrow.”
Shi Jingzhi’s smile instantly disappeared as he tightly clutched the thin manual, letting out a lament, “I haven’t eaten dinner tonight!”
“Who asked Shizun to be so engrossed?”
“That’s not true. It’s mutual.”
The two bantered back and forth for a while before finally sharing a smile.
Finally, the faint light of dawn arrived.
Shi Jingzhi woke up as usual at the hour of the tiger, only to find a broom lying across him. He sneezed and patted Yin Ci’s hair, feeling at ease as he went back to sleep.
Neither of them managed to get up on time in the end. Master and disciple lay on the bed, sprawled in disarray.
Unfortunately, peaceful times were never meant to last.
In the morning, Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci were led by the temple steward to meet Abbot Juefei.
“I have prepared the introduction letter and placed it together with the records of Martial Uncle Kongshi. During the temple Sutra Cleansing Session, it is inconvenient for us to accommodate guests.”
“After lunch, Zhixing will burn incense from the Buddha Heart Formation to send you off. The incense of the Buddhist Heart Formation breaks the bonds of greed, hatred, and ignorance, so you don’t have to worry; just leave the mountain as usual.”
Abbot Juefei pointed to the young monk who espoused the phrase “Form is emptiness.”
“There’s also a confidential letter from the Taiheng Sect, entrusted to me by Shi Zhongyu. She mentioned in the letter that Sect Master Shi had made an agreement with her in front of the Ghost Tomb to have our temple serve as a witness for the exchange of the treasure Buddhist beads.”
Juefei sighed.
“The Jianchen Temple was originally unwilling to get involved in this matter, but due to our close relationship with the Taiheng Sect and Sect Master Shi’s favor towards our temple, you should seize the opportunity and obtain the evidence quickly to resolve this trouble. It can be considered an act of merit.”
Yin Ci looked at Shi Jingzhi with some surprise.
Did he plan this move back at the Ghost Tomb?
The Taiheng Sect was righteous, and the Jianchen Temple kept their promises. If the Kushan Sect was willing to exchange, the Taiheng Sect could obtain the two map beads without bloodshed. Even if the Kushan Sect went back on their word, the Taiheng Sect wouldn’t suffer any loss, so Shi Zhongyu would certainly not refuse.
This move by Shi Jingzhi seemed to be an attempt to take control of the exchange.
However, the Kunshan Sect had exclusive possession of two precious treasure map Buddhist beads. Once they were exchanged, they would lose their only advantage. Now that Shi Jingzhi knew about the “key”, it was understandable that he wanted to borrow the power of Taiheng to find the “lock”…
Seemingly seeing through his thoughts, Shi Jingzhi turned his head slightly and smiled, silently saying, [Yan Budu would never arrange such a cheap thing as ‘complete the treasure map and gain the Shirou’ on his own. There must be more than one clue. It’s better to make an agreement with Taiheng first and find a favorable opportunity for the transaction.]
Yin Ci: “…” He almost forgot that this person was undoubtedly a true counterpart to Demonic Lord Yan.
“Amitabha.”
Abbot Juefei spoke slightly louder.
“Besides that, there is one last thing. Taiheng entrusted our temple with the safekeeping of the treasure map and specially sent a Tranquil Heart Pill. This item calms the mind and settles the spirit; it is a treasure of Taiheng. I don’t want to borrow external items, so I hereby present it to Sect Master Shi as a gift… It can also be considered as a resolution to the connection between our temple and the <Woodless Sutra>.”
“Thank you, Venerable.”
Shi Jingzhi accepted the prepared package and bowed in return.
“I will present the topography of the treasure map to Taiheng before I leave. This junior will now take his leave first.”
“Go on, go on. I’ll have someone bring some good food for lunch,” Juefei said with a smile. “Oh, take this Buddha Heart Incense with you first…”
Just as Abbott Juefei had just taken out the Buddha Heart Incense from a small table, his words suddenly stopped. The room was still filled with bright sunlight and lush greenery, but there was a hint of ominous coldness.
Abbot Juefei’s skin gradually turned red, with bulging blue veins.
Then, his immense inner force suddenly erupted. It swept uncontrollably through the surroundings, turning the serene and peaceful room into a chaotic mess in an instant.
“Senior Brother!” Juehui shouted loudly. Monk Zhixing stood frozen in place, too shocked to move.
Before Abbot Juefei’s smile could fade, his round face twisted and contorted as if he had discovered something extremely horrifying. He grabbed the edge of the bed with one hand, breathing heavily like a bull, losing his serene Maitreya-like appearance.
“No… you… go quickly.” Monk Juefei’s eyes bulged out, staring directly at Shi Jingzhi as he intermittently said, “Juehui… don’t come… near…”
Shi Jingzhi didn’t leave. He was about to approach and check Juefei’s pulse when Yin Ci stopped him in his tracks.
“A’Ci?!”
“Don’t.” Yin Ci stared directly at Juefei. “Trust me. Don’t go.”
In the blink of an eye, he not only stopped Shi Jingzhi but also coldly pulled Shi Jingzhi’s flag, forcefully pushing Juehui away from in front of the bed. Monk Juehui, in a state of urgency, unguardedly crashed into the wall in the distance.
Only then did Abbot Juefei reveal a faint smile.
Using his last bit of strength, he sat upright at the edge of the bed and closed his eyes.
“It’s good as long as you’re safe. It’s good as long as you’re safe. Juehui, Zhixing… What happened today… has nothing to do… with the Kushan Sect…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
A golden fire erupted from Abbot Juefei’s body. Amidst the surging flames, Juefei sat motionless like a bell, without struggling or screaming.
That yang fire was the same as Shi Jingzhi’s yang fire, blazing and pure, unable to be extinguished by water or soil, burning relentlessly.
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Hold the jade hammer, strike the chime, and the sound resonates throughout the three thousand worlds. From the “Qi Yuan Tu Jing” (Illustrated Sutra of the Wilderness).
