Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 200: Performance

[Your attempt to eradicate evil for the people has failed again lol. Where’s the livestream? http://www.]

[I was at the scene. Brother Cockroach vomited a ton of blood. I heard it’s nothing serious and he’ll be back to class tomorrow.]

[Did you guys notice? Our female warriors make a lot of noise but do little. Sister Cockroach and Brother Cockroach are both fine. Who was it that said we will see it in the news~~~?]

[Who asked her to make a big deal out of this 3D stuff? But maybe the Cockroach family just has strong vitality. 👍]

……

In the dimly lit room, chat bubbles popped up on the screen like boiling water, quickly emerging from the bottom. Faced with the sarcastic remarks of the group, Luo Chunlei unexpectedly remained calm and didn’t reply. Until—

[I get it, so we’re just going to let this matter end like this? Can’t keep the promise? If you can’t fulfill what you’ve promised, as a female warrior, you should at least say a few words.]

Luo Chunlei: [When did I say it’s going to end? Do you really think exterminating the Cockroaches can be done in a day? ❤️]

Yin Ren’s gaze shifted from the phone, and he looked out at the night sky through the window.

While the school infirmary was empty, he secretly infused some Evil Force into Zhong Chengshuo’s body. Zhong Chengshuo’s physical injuries were obviously not as severe as losing his head, and he quickly returned to his original state. In Yellow Millet’s illusion, the young Zhong Chengshuo was lying peacefully on the bed, dutifully devouring energy bars—it was “Zhang San’s” condition, and he wasn’t supposed to eat today.

Yin Ren broke off a small piece of Shian’s specially made energy bar, which was full of chocolate and sugar. He quite liked it, and as Zhong Chengshuo ate more, his face became increasingly wrinkled.

“Are you sure you won’t return to the base tonight?” Zhong Chengshuo swallowed the last bite of food and asked quietly.

“I’ve discussed it with Lu Xiaohe. Starting today, I must…”

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking echoed, and Yin Ren frowned, quickly moving to the corner of the room. Zhong Chengshuo immediately closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, conscientiously furrowing his brows.

Knock, knock, knock. The knocking sound continued persistently, as if determined not to stop until it woke someone up. After a while, Zhong Chengshuo finally answered with a hoarse voice, “Come in.”

Luo Chunlei turned on the lights with a “snap”. She was dressed formally, holding a small bouquet of flowers, and her eyes were swollen from crying. Making sure only Zhong Chengshuo was in the room, she gently closed the door and locked it with a click.

Zhong Chengshuo “struggled” to sit up, weakly leaning against the head of the bed. “What’s the matter?”

Luo Chunlei didn’t answer immediately. She casually picked up the vase from the medical office desk, inserted the newly bought flowers into it, and placed it on Zhong Chengshuo’s bedside table. After completing all of this, she plucked two petals from the prettiest flower, squeezed them in her hand, and kneaded them.

The bouquet was delicate and expensive, with a slightly mature aesthetic that resembled her mother’s taste.

“Are you happy now?” Luo Chunlei pulled over a chair and sat down angrily.

“What are you talking about?” Zhong Chengshuo skillfully pretended to be ignorant.

“My parents know about your situation and insist that I improve our relationship. They are keeping a close eye on me now, and even the teachers are paying extra attention to me. I can’t do anything.”

Luo Chunlei crossed her legs and spoke with the air of reciting a prepared script.

“I’m just unlucky; my good intentions resulted in bad outcomes. You’re generous; have a little mercy on me—”

“Are you implying that you had nothing to do with tampering with the soda?”

Luo Chunlei snorted. “Of course not. I’ve only just come back. Where would I even get poison? Let me tell you, it’s probably the culprit who harmed Zhang Hejun. They found out that both of us were investigating, so it was a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “……” If he were a hot-headed teenager, he might have been led astray by this girl.

However, in reality, no one would go through such trouble to harm a child. The victim hadn’t even died yet, and they were already coming up with excuses. It didn’t make much sense.

At this moment, all he could do was silently observe Luo Chunlei’s performance.

“Don’t you understand? I just gave you the lead on Wu Cheng, and now this happens.” Luo Chunlei wiped her eyes, and her voice was filled with vivid resentment. “It’s the violent gang in our school. They want to harm us!”

She even included herself in this fantasy story. According to the usual plot, the boy and girl should shake hands and work together to find the culprit.

Unfortunately, Zhong Chengshuo was skilled at treating atmosphere as irrelevant.

“That’s just your speculation.” Zhong Chengshuo adjusted his glasses. “I will investigate on my own.”

Luo Chunlei clenched her fists, almost crushing the flower petals in her hands.

Zhong Chengshuo coughed at the right time. “Or maybe you have more clues for me? According to your logic, telling me about Wu Cheng had serious consequences. Classmate Luo, you better take care of yourself.”

“I can see that you don’t really want to find the culprit! Everyone is going crazy now, and we are being targeted. They will never let us off the hook… Tomorrow morning at 6:30, I’ll be waiting for you at the water pavilion near the back mountain. I’ve hidden the evidence there,” Luo Chunlei said resentfully.

“If you don’t come, I won’t leave.”

Zhong Chengshuo looked at her expressionlessly.

“And I know you’ll come for sure!” She finally left these words and ran away, seeming pitiful and aggrieved.

Zhong Chengshuo immediately looked at Yin Ren, but Yin Ren shook his head and remained by the bedside. Only a strand of hair followed her as she rushed down the stairs. The resentment and anger on her face vanished, leaving only a radiant smile.

The corridor was empty. She secretly took out a compact mirror with a hint of satisfaction on her face. “I’ve set it up just as you said.”

“Since they can deceive Wu Cheng with their superpowers, I can’t poison him either. So what should I do… I’m willing to gamble. As long as I can personally take action, it’ll be fine.”

“Hmm, I understand. There won’t be any problems. What? Look at the ceiling?”

Luo Chunlei’s expression stiffened, and she suddenly looked up. In the darkness, she saw a dark red eye. It seemed like it wanted to retract, but the girl caught sight of it.

One ghostly eye and two human eyes silently confronted each other in the darkness.

Luo Chunlei didn’t scream or shout; instead, excitement filled her eyes. “What the hell. I thought it was a person.”

After saying that, she continued to gaze with interest at the ghostly eye, and that carefree joy once again adorned her features. Once she confirmed that the eye had disappeared into the shadows, Luo Chunlei hummed a tune and walked into the corridor, heading towards the school gate.

Even with streetlights, the school gate remained dim. The holly bushes were pruned into round shapes and were concealed by the darkness, resembling heads scattered in the flower beds. Luo Chunlei couldn’t help but reach out her hand, dip it into the lamplight, and draw smiling faces on those “heads”.

“Luo Chunlei, stop.”

At the moment when Luo Chunlei was about to leave the campus, a familiar voice came from behind her.

In the shadows, a semi-transparent “Zhang Hejun” wore a wry smile. Half of her body was submerged in the holly bushes. She lowered her head, and her hair covered most of her face. But the voice undoubtedly belonged to Zhang Hejun herself.

“You shouldn’t have touched those things, let alone listened to their commands. It’s not too late to stop now.”

Luo Chunlei halted her humming. She squinted her eyes and looked at the girl she had almost killed. After a few seconds, she rolled her eyes and let out a contemptuous sigh.

“Oh, are you a ghost?” Luo Chunlei clapped her hands, showing no trace of guilt on her face. “Let me think, let me think. You’re almost dead, and your soul left your body?”

The apparition in front of her fell silent.

“As classmates, I’m sincerely warning you. Don’t go to the back mountain.” After a pause, “Zhang Hejun” sighed gently. “I do dislike you, but you might also be influenced by the ghost in the mirror. I… I don’t think you should die because of something like this.”

Under the dim streetlight, the shadows on Luo Chunlei’s face deepened, giving her a peculiar and aged appearance.

“Haha, you’re hilarious. This is my genuine superpower—my dad knocked on my head, so I can see you guys. Where does this ghost influence come from?”

Luo Chunlei laughed, and the shadows on her face deepened even more.

“Oh, but someone is now a ghost themselves and can see ghosts, right? Comparatively speaking, I’m not that special~ Little Roach, if you’re not dead yet, remember to die quickly!”

“Zhang Hejun” shook her head, and her figure finally dissipated.

At the same time, Yin Ren in the school infirmary opened his eyes.

“You don’t plan to save her forcibly,” Zhong Chengshuo stated.

“If Fu Xingchuan were here, he would probably follow the rules.” Yin Ren sat on the edge of the bed, leaning against Zhong Chengshuo’s stomach. “But there are some paths you can only choose for yourself—I am an evil, remember?”

“I remember. What about Lu Xiaohe…”

“She won’t make any mistakes.”

Yin Ren stretched lazily on his lover’s stomach.

“I trust her.”

……

“Two members’ equipment from Unit 9 went offline. Lu Xiaohe from Unit 9 didn’t submit a report, and it was only discovered during the headquarters inspection.”

Xiang Jiang slammed the report on Li Nian’s desk.

“They were just investigating a minor corruption source, and Unit 9 ended up like this? The rear commander knew but didn’t report it?”

Li Nian unscrewed the thermos, took a few sips, and said with no discernible emotion, “I didn’t realize you cared so much.”

“Ge Tingting and Huang Jin are both black seals, theoretically under my command. I am responsible for their situation.” Xiang Jiang’s face grew stern. “This is the first mission of Unit 9 as a B-level investigation team, so naturally, I have to keep an eye on them. It’s almost the end of the year. Do you want the accident rate to increase again?”

Li Nian averted his gaze while his tone remained unchanged. “If Lu Xiaohe didn’t report, then Unit 9 may have their own plans. That’s just their style. The regulations allow a tacit approval period of twenty-four hours, so let’s stick to that.”

Xiang Jiang: “…It’s not just a simple disappearance of the signal! The magical markings on their phones were all deactivated. Even evil spirits couldn’t erase them so cleanly.”

Behind him, Xiang Hai exhaled with a bloody ghostly aura.

“What? The magical markings were deactivated?”

Li Nian stopped his tea-drinking motion, and his brow furrowed slightly.

He quickly scrolled the mouse and pulled up today’s report from Unit 9, quickly reading it. Xiang Jiang crossed his arms as his gaze followed the movement of Li Nian’s mouse, occasionally turning towards Professor Li’s face.

“Indeed, something seems off. Lu Xiaohe’s report to me is a mess.”

Several minutes passed, and Li Nian finished reading the report carefully.

“Alright, I’ll contact Lu Xiaohe and ask Fu Xingchuan to go to the school.”

“Fu Xingchuan? Theoretically, I’m your partner. Why can’t I go?” Xiang Jiang sneered. “Ge Tingting and Huang Jin are just involved employees, not important at all. If Fu Xingchuan goes, who knows what conclusions he might draw… He’s more skilled than anyone when it comes to sacrificing minor characters for the greater good.”

“He’s like half your teacher, so watch your tone.”

Li Nian’s expression turned cold.

“Consultant Fu is powerful and convenient to mobilize, so that’s why he should go. If you, as the minister, are still so concerned, you can come along. Just remember to submit a report, and I’ll sign it.”

They stared at each other across the office desk for a long time.

Li Nian maintained his poker face as usual, while Xiang Jiang’s usually lifeless features showed a hint of anger, making him appear more alive.

“I’ll provide a detailed investigation request tonight,” Xiang Jiang said, each word deliberate. “After that, I’ll take full command and responsibility for the Haigu Secondary School area. Is that okay, Minister Li?”

“It’s in line with procedures,” Li Nian answered softly.

Xiang Jiang snorted and immediately began filling out the report. Li Nian glanced at him and connected to Lu Xiaohe’s communication channel.

“Where are Ge Tingting and Huang Jin?” Li Nian got straight to the point.

Lu Xiaohe replied, “They went out and are not here.” Her voice sounded cold, with a drawn-out tone at the end.

“Their communication is completely cut off, and the magical markings malfunctioned. It’s the highest level of danger—disappearance… Lu Xiaohe, did you confirm according to the regulations and on time this afternoon?”

“My mother also had the highest level of disappearance.” Lu Xiaohe’s tone was flat. “It hasn’t been twelve hours since those two disappeared.”

“Lu Xiaohe.” There was a hint of warning in Li Nian’s tone.

“Well, they went out and are not here. It’s after work hours now. If there’s something, contact me tomorrow.”

After saying that, she abruptly ended the call.

“…It seems I have to go with you.”

Li Nian tightened his grip on the thermos slowly.

“The situation there seems off. Let’s set up protection in the area and ensure safety before making contact.”

Xiang Jiang raised an eyebrow in response.

“Do you need a specially deployed task force? If not, I’ll arrange it myself.”

Midway through writing the application, Xiang Jiang suddenly asked.

“No, you arrange it.”

……

Early the next morning.

Beeping electronic notifications sounded. Lu Xiaohe had stayed up all night making her eyes sore and dry. She poured the remaining energy drink into her throat.

The devices of Huang Jin and Ge Tingting once again showed a location signal; this time at the water pavilion near the back mountain. Lu Xiaohe wiped her face and looked at the two strange talismans attached to the monitor.

Two peculiar talismans silently adhered to a powered-off monitor. Their vermilion marks were bright, like blood.

Lu Xiaohe weakly smiled, reaching for the communication button. Her movements were shaky, and she accidentally knocked over the stack of beverage cans, which scattered and rolled around with a clattering noise.

“What’s wrong?” Yin Ren’s voice came through, accompanied by chewing sounds.

“The devices of Huang Jin and Ge Tingting suddenly lost their response, and they didn’t come back last night. Their location just appeared near the back mountain. There might be something going on.”

Lu Xiaohe glanced at the label “Shian Public Channel” and cleared her throat as she spoke in an icy tone.

“They didn’t come back? Why didn’t you tell us yesterday?” Yin Ren stopped chewing, and his voice instantly became louder.

“I thought you had arranged it. Are you sure you want to discuss this now?”

“Never mind, how far is the water pavilion near the back mountain from here?” Yin Ren’s voice suddenly turned serious, mixed with just the right amount of urgency. “That girl caused trouble again last night and said she would go to the back mountain in the morning—”

“It’s right at the water pavilion near the back mountain.”

“…We’ll get prepared on our end and go there. You should quickly report the situation.”

“Understood,” Lu Xiaohe responded indifferently.

Finally, she ended the communication, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and looked at the two talismans.

Beside those two talismans stood a movable blackboard, covered in densely written words:

[1. When in contact with others, there will be sudden intense emotional fluctuations within five minutes, lasting for more than 30 minutes. √

2. Emotional fluctuations lead to a large number of negative thoughts about current work. √

3. Negative thoughts specifically involve strong hatred and suspicion towards team members and colleagues. √

All of the above are applicable, and it is highly suspected of being affected by psychic interference. It is best to act according to the affected style and immediately contact the most hated companion privately and explain the situation. Remember, companions around you are always more trustworthy than strangers.]

[Companions around you are always more trustworthy than strangers.]

These words were repeated over and over, filling every corner of the whiteboard. The handwriting started becoming incredibly messy, resembling a child’s practice, but then those sentences became neater and bolder, indicating that the writer had exerted more force. The subsequent ink faded, and the writing turned into a suspicious reddish-brown blood color.

“This is the first time I’ve been affected… It feels like hell.”

Lu Xiaohe extended her bandaged right index finger, tore open a packet of bread, and took a fierce bite. She glanced at the task assigned to Shian on the public channel, then opened a can of energy drink.

“A fragile mental state really isn’t suitable for staying up all night.”

She swallowed the soft bread and couldn’t help but close her eyes. The image from yesterday at noon seemed to still be before her eyes—

After communication from the hospital was cut off, Lu Xiaohe’s heart sank into an abyss. She quickly skimmed through the janitor’s information and closed the page, but the intense hatred toward Yin Ren was like a potent poison, constantly corroding her nerves.

Pain and worry filled her mind. She didn’t want to do anything, didn’t want…to be affected.

Her current state absolutely couldn’t be affected.

Lu Xiaohe gritted her teeth and struggled to stand up, picking up the pen next to the whiteboard.

She almost squeezed out all of her rationality before she could summarize the current situation. During the writing process, the surging rejection seemed to grip her brain, forcing her to abandon writing and immerse herself in the worry for her loved ones.

[Companions around you are always more trustworthy than strangers.]

But Zhang Hejun’s description of the characteristics was so accurate…

[Companions around you are always more trustworthy than strangers.]

However, Yin Ren’s attention wasn’t currently focused on exploring the Other Side, which was also a fact. The promise to save her mother was merely a verbal agreement…

[Companions around you are always more trustworthy than…]

She wrote it countless times until the ink of the marker ran out. Lu Xiaohe tightly grasped the pen, gasping for breath. Sweat covered her whole body, making her look as if she had just crawled out of water.

She bit her fingertip hard, using the pain to forcefully write the last word.

[Trust.]

The entire whiteboard was filled with words. Lu Xiaohe pressed the communication device with trembling hands. Just as she was about to speak, she saw the mark of “Shian Public Channel” and swallowed the unspoken words.

“Yin Ren, come to the base. Your signature is needed for the incident involving the puppet being poisoned.” Lu Xiaohe suppressed the trembling in her voice and spoke with a flat tone.

On the screen, she opened the janitor’s information again and forced herself to read it repeatedly.

“A signature?”

Not long after, Yin Ren swiftly returned to the base. He deliberately displayed his figure, hovering in the air without any proper form.

“I’m here. Where are the documents? I need to sign them quickly and go…”

Before he could finish speaking, the young Yin Ren’s red eyes suddenly turned, locking onto Lu Xiaohe.

“It’s rare to see killing intent in you.” Lord Ghost King floated in front of Lu Xiaohe. His previously relaxed tone vanished.

Before Lu Xiaohe could reply, Yin Ren directly pressed his hand against her forehead. Seeing the real person suddenly appear in front of her, hatred surged within her, and Lu Xiaohe instinctively wanted to dodge. However, under the strength of that hand, her feet felt as heavy as a thousand kilograms, and she became like a stone sculpture, unable to even move her fingers.

Yin Ren muttered an obscure and unintelligible spell in a low voice, and a warm white light gradually lit up around them, as gentle as the morning sun.

In the next moment, Lu Xiaohe felt as if she had stepped from a stuffy and foul-smelling room to the outdoors. A cool breeze blew, and the hatred and pain instantly dissipated. Her drowsy mind became much clearer in an instant.

Those poisonous emotions seemed to be separated by a thick barrier. They could still touch her heart, but they could no longer interfere with her thoughts.

“…A thousand years ago, your current state would be the standard ‘losing control’ state, the kind that can be fatal.”

After the spell was completed, Yin Ren didn’t show a relieved expression. He leaned closer to Lu Xiaohe’s face, gently sniffing the air around her. His voice became more serious.

“But there are no traces of magic nearby. The technique was too clean. Lu Xiaohe, tell me everything about who you just interacted with, what they said, and what they did. Don’t leave out a single word.”

Lu Xiaohe took a long sigh and opened the refrigerator, taking out two bottles of chilled drinks and casually tossing one to Yin Ren.

“Coincidentally, I was planning to do that.”

Lu Xiaohe pressed the cold drink against her temple, still feeling a lingering fear.

“Oh, right. Remember to contact Ge Tingting and Huang Jin later. I don’t dare to use the public channel, in case it alerts the enemy…”

“I saw them just now. They were heading towards the cafeteria. Don’t worry, I guarantee that I can stop them before they leave the cafeteria.”

Yin Ren stood in front of her, instantly transforming back into an adult appearance. His long black hair flowed like water, and his oversized school uniform transformed into a dark red robe. The once Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi had a solemn expression on his face as he moved his hands intentionally or unintentionally, as if performing finger gestures.

“Now you can speak. Remember, don’t leave out any details.”

……

Another round of beeping sounded, interrupting Lu Xiaohe’s hasty recollection. She leaned back in her chair—

The marker representing Yin Ren had moved to the water pavilion near the back mountain, in close proximity to the markers representing Ge Tingting and Huang Jin. Although she couldn’t be detected, that girl named Luo Chunlei was most likely also at the scene.

“It’s time.”

Lu Xiaohe clenched her fists tightly and then slowly released them. She took a deep breath and sent out the drones. They would patrol around the back mountains and capture any changes, then present their data in front of her.

“Make sure to win, all four of you.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 199: Joy

Before Yin Ren’s mind could react, his body rushed to Zhong Chengshuo’s location.

Zhong Chengshuo, with great effort, supported himself on the desk, and his face was pale like a dead person.

His chin was covered in black-red blood, and even blood was seeping from the corners of his eyes. Combined with his youthful face, he looked fragile, like a snowflake tinged with the reflection of firelight. It was evident that Zhong Chengshuo wanted to try to wipe it away, but his slender fingers were stained with speckled bloodstains. After a few seconds, he vomited a mouthful of blood and then collapsed onto the chair.

The school uniform he wore emitted a horrifying sweet and bloody scent, and the table was covered in crimson marks.

The students’ faces turned pale, and they scattered to the front half of the classroom in a panic. Their voices were filled with confusion and discussion. Several students clutched their throats against the wall, directly vomiting onto the classroom floor.

As Yin Ren looked at Zhong Chengshuo, who was covered in blood, his thoughts paused for two seconds.

The bloody scene of Mr. Qiu’s attack on that day crashed into his memory, and he could barely contain his breath.

Fortunately, Zhong Chengshuo pretended to groan and moan earnestly, showing some confidence and a rather… incomplete emotional state. As soon as Yin Ren appeared, this person’s gaze seemed to have found a target and firmly locked onto Yin Ren.

Yin Ren: “…”

Given Zhong Chengshuo’s actual abilities, pretending to have a stomach ache was out of the question. To be able to vomit so much blood in one breath, he must have eaten something he shouldn’t have.

In a daze, he seemed to have returned to a thousand years ago—when he first met that messy-looking rabbit that had no understanding of the purpose of a “mouth”. The former black rabbit used to chew on stones in front of him and even attempt to swallow the gravel.

The current Comrade Xiao Zhong was no longer in the age of indiscriminate chewing and didn’t have a greedy and ignorant character. Yin Ren gradually calmed his breathing and nodded at Zhong Chengshuo. Only then did Zhong Chengshuo retract his gaze and continue to pretend to be in distress.

Yin Ren made an effort not to look at the puddle of blood that stung his eyes. He floated back behind Zhong Chengshuo and embraced his neck. The scent of blood wafted over, and Zhong Chengshuo’s skin felt cold, with a layer of sweat.

There was a sealed bottle of mineral water on the table, which Zhong Chengshuo usually carried with him, but he had only taken a few sips. On the other side, there was a 300ml small bottle of fruit juice soda, with the cap missing and only a layer of orange-yellow liquid at the bottom.

Looking around, almost every student’s desk had a small bottle of soda, most of which had been opened and partially consumed.

Yin Ren released his hold on Zhong Chengshuo and leaned in to sniff the mouth of the bottle. Amidst the strong scent of oranges, there was a hint of a strange medicinal odor. There was no evil qi or force present, indicating that it was definitely a human-made poison.

“What’s going on? What’s going on?” The homeroom teacher arrived late, followed by the school doctor.

“It’s my fault!” Luo Chunlei tried to squeeze herself out from the mess of students. Her eyes were red and swollen.

“Teacher, I’ve been absent for too long. I missed everyone, so I ordered a case of soda… It was bought from the small shop outside the school, and the owner helped with the delivery!”

She forcefully sniffled and lowered her voice.

“I… I thought of sharing it with everyone during the break, but then Zhang San just finished drinking it and started vomiting blood…”

Meanwhile, Zhong Chengshuo, in cooperation, let out a low groan.

“You, you, and you. I know you’re carrying phones. Hand them over.” The male teacher glanced at Luo Chunlei and pursed his lips, pointing at several students. “Don’t blabber to anyone else, remember that.”

“The situation is fine. He’s stable now. No need to call an ambulance.” The school doctor made a preliminary diagnosis. “It might be an injury to the digestive tract. I’ll take him for further examination.”

The homeroom teacher visibly sighed in relief.

“Hand over the bottles you just drank. Hand them over! Luo Chunlei, come to my office. The students on clean up duty will clean up the blood. It’s nothing serious.”

Luo Chunlei: “But Zhang San…”

“Come to my office,” the teacher repeated absentmindedly as he put the bottles in a plastic bag.

Meanwhile, the school doctor helped Zhong Chengshuo up, and Zhong Chengshuo subtly nodded at Yin Ren, secretly pointing at Luo Chunlei. Yin Ren furrowed his brows, unable to take his gaze off Zhong Chengshuo’s blood-stained clothes. Unfortunately, the situation was right in front of him. The righteous Great Celestial Master eventually gestured and followed Luo Chunlei.

It was during the midday break, and there was no one in the teachers’ office.

Luo Chunlei sat on a chair, sobbing pitifully, evoking sympathy. The homeroom teacher threw the confiscated phones on the table and repeatedly examined the soft plastic bottle filled with fruit juice, unable to find any issues on the surface.

“You said you bought them from outside the school?”

“Yes, yes, I bought more than a case according to the number of people. I remember one case was unpacked.” Luo Chunlei appeared truly terrified and at a loss. “I also found two friends to help me pack the bags and distribute them. They can testify for me, teacher! What should we do now? Someone poisoned us. Should we report it to the police?”

“The school regulations prohibit bringing in a large quantity of food from outside.” The homeroom teacher stared at the screen, speaking calmly. “Now that you’ve caused a problem, it damages the school’s reputation. Zhang San seems to be fine, so let’s wait for the results from the school clinic.”

Yin Ren was floating above the two of them. His eyebrows couldn’t help but twitch.

“But poisoning is illegal. We should report it!” Luo Chunlei widened her eyes. Her tone was so innocent that it made one’s teeth ache.

“Report it? Sure, then the school will handle it officially, and you’ll face severe punishment.” The homeroom teacher’s voice became stern. “And when your classmates’ parents start causing a fuss, won’t your classmates’ studies be affected? Won’t the school be impacted because of you?”

He spoke with authority, secretly clenching his fist, causing the veins in his hand to bulge. He was even more nervous than the faux-crying Luo Chunlei. Following the teacher’s arm with his gaze, Yin Ren saw the teacher evaluation application that had been started.

“Zhang Hejun hasn’t recovered yet, and if you make things worse by posting it online, do you know how those people will criticize you? Teacher is doing this for your own good!”

Seeing that Luo Chunlei didn’t respond, the man’s spit flew as he spoke with frustration.

Luo Chunlei’s eyes were red, and another round of tears welled up. “I… I just wanted to treat everyone to soda… I understand now…”

“Let me tell you the truth. Zhang Hejun’s parents are out of town, and her condition doesn’t seem too severe. I will contact your parents. They’ll know what to do. This is an adult matter, so adults will handle it.”

The teacher switched his tone quickly, softening his voice, and handed her a tissue.

“Alright, Teacher knows you didn’t have any malicious intent. When the time comes, apologize to Zhang Hejun and mend your relationship. It’s not a big deal. You can go now.”

“Thank you, teacher,” Luo Chunlei said softly, forcefully sniffling.

Watching this exchange between the old and the young, Yin Ren’s eyes nearly rolled to the sky. If it were in the past, he would have wished to curse both of them.

It was highly likely that Luo Chunlei was the one who poisoned Zhong Chengshuo, and based on the current situation, it wouldn’t reach the police.

But Luo Chunlei was just a middle school student. How could she obtain a mildly poisonous substance within two class periods? Ge Tingting and Huang Jin were guarding outside the school, and ordinary metaphysicians wouldn’t be able to come and go unnoticed by them.

…Using a gap to administer poison was plausible. Could it be the work of the Elemental spreading corruption within the school? Helping a middle school student while causing the death of a Shian staff member. Not to mention that it was completely unnecessary, like using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.

Creating a renewable source of corruption in the school and indulging in the mischief of children. If the dominant Elemental occupying this place was indeed Mr. Le, what exactly did he want to achieve?

Yin Ren didn’t follow Luo Chunlei anymore. He swiftly flew towards the direction of the school clinic.

……

Zhong Chengshuo lay obediently on the clinic bed, covered with a neatly arranged blanket. He had an IV drip hanging beside him, and the bloodstains on his body had been wiped clean. Now, looking at him, aside from his pale complexion, there didn’t seem to be any major issues on the surface.

When Yin Ren entered the room, Zhong Chengshuo was staring at the medicine dripping down the tubing.

Sitting beside him was a middle-aged male janitor in his forties. Despite having a cheerful appearance, he had two large bags under his eyes, and his breathing was accompanied by wheezing and phlegm sounds. He seemed even weaker than Zhong Chengshuo, who was lying in the hospital bed.

The man held an outdated joke book in his hands, reading it with great concentration. The school doctor wasn’t nearby, so this person was probably here to look after “Zhang San”.

With a rustle, the janitor licked his fingertips and turned the pages of the book gently.

The bottle of water from Zhong Chengshuo’s desk had been brought over. It was still nearly full, and as the sunlight passed through the transparent plastic bottle, it created a radiant spot of light on the wall. As the janitor flipped the pages of the book, the shimmering spot of light moved and swayed like a living creature.

The temperament of this janitor was somewhat peculiar. If one had to describe it, he appeared to be alive, but there was an air of decay in his features. Every movement he made was filled with a heavy sense of depression, making him resemble an elderly person nearing the end of their life.

Yin Ren carefully investigated but didn’t detect any traces that he was a cultivator.

Nevertheless, Yin Ren instinctively tightened his own aura. He completely ceased his breathing, slowly moving closer to Zhong Chengshuo’s bed.

With his back turned to the janitor, Zhong Chengshuo curled up and mumbled a few words under his breath. He covered his head with the blanket, and Yin Ren cooperatively lowered his body. Shifting his shape had its advantages. With his hands gripping the edge of the bed, he could just see Zhong Chengshuo’s face through the gap in the blanket.

In the shadow beneath the blanket, two black hole-like eyes stared directly at him. Zhong Chengshuo didn’t immediately speak. Instead, it seemed as though he wanted to caress Yin Ren with his gaze, examining him for a while.

[I didn’t drink the soda. Luo Chunlei had opened the bottle she gave me in advance.] After a moment, Zhong Chengshuo silently mouthed the words. [While Luo Chunlei wasn’t paying attention, I poured the drink into my bag.]

Yin Ren was momentarily speechless.

…Thank you waterproof backpack specially provided by Shian. It probably didn’t anticipate that the first thing it would be protecting against wasn’t an external invasion, but an internal crisis.

[And then?] Yin Ren blinked. Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t the type to passively wait for his demise. There must be a next step in his plan.

[Initially, I planned to pretend to feel unwell and see how Luo Chunlei would react. But my body really had a problem… Before I started vomiting blood, I only drank my own water. That bottle of water was the one I took from the Shian’s temporary base. It was sealed and had never left my sight today.]

Yin Ren suddenly turned his head and looked at the crystal-clear mineral water bottle on the bedside.

Zhong Chengshuo deliberately unscrewed the cap, and the water vapor carried a slightly bitter taste, no different from other mineral waters. It didn’t emit any evil qi, and no matter how he looked at it, it was just a bottle of ordinary water.

Yin Ren glanced at the janitor, and a black hair strand silently infiltrated the bottle cap, gently dipping into the water.

It was cool and slightly sweet, tasting completely normal.

Before Yin Ren could furrow his brows, a corrosive pain suddenly surged from the tip of his hair. It felt as though his hair had been immersed in strong acid, and all his nerves were screaming in agony simultaneously. The Evil Force in his hair was forcibly destroyed as if it was being dismembered.

Such a potent poison… but it couldn’t kill him.

Yin Ren didn’t sever the hair strand. He endured the pain and continued analyzing the toxicity of the water. Under the intense pain, Yin Ren almost couldn’t suppress his aura, and his hands gripping the edge of the bed clenched into fists. Zhong Chengshuo swiftly reached out and placed his warm palm on the back of Yin Ren’s hand.

Yin Ren pressed his cheek against the back of Zhong Chengshuo’s hand, regulating his breath for a while.

He had witnessed this ability to destroy evil before. In the abandoned amusement park, Mr. Qiu had used a gun to shatter Bai Yongji’s contaminated coin.

Undoubtedly, it was the ability of an advanced Elemental, one that Yin Ren himself hadn’t mastered. The current Primordial Elemental didn’t employ sniper tactics, but its ability wasn’t inferior to Mr. Qiu’s.

Yin Ren could taste that the toxin contained a powerful biological poison combined with specially treated Evil Force.

If the person who drank this bottle of water were Yin Ren himself, they would undoubtedly suffer a gruesome and agonizing death. Zhong Chengshuo was partially immunized against the Evil Force, but he still reacted to the biological poison.

…No, if Zhong Chengshuo was just an ordinary human, this toxin should have killed him.

What was worse was that the toxin had been handled very discreetly. Even if Yin Ren had been present at the time, he would have only watched as Zhong Chengshuo drank the water.

Despite knowing Zhong Chengshuo’s identity, a chill ran down Yin Ren’s spine. One of his hands discreetly slipped under the blanket and gently touched Zhong Chengshuo’s cheek.

[When we go back, I’ll give you some Evil Force to speed up your recovery.] Yin Ren forcefully suppressed his anger and silently responded. [The situation here is dangerous. I’ll inform Shian.]

Zhong Chengshuo closed his eyes and lightly leaned his head towards that hand. The familiar sense of rejection danced between their skins, giving a strangely comforting feeling.

“Hehe.”

With a rustle, the janitor turned to the next page of the joke book. Perhaps he found something amusing because he chuckled to himself twice.

Yin Ren retracted his hand, and Zhong Chengshuo followed suit by slipping out of the blanket. In the brilliant afternoon sunlight, the young Zhong Chengshuo pointed to his dry and wrinkled lips. Yin Ren thought that he was about to say something and instinctively leaned closer.

Taking advantage of the movement of turning over, Zhong Chengshuo subtly adjusted his posture, and his lips brushed against Yin Ren’s nose.

[See you in the afternoon.] Zhong Chengshuo solemnly wagged his finger, forming the final gesture with his mouth.

Yin Ren touched his nose, and the inner fury in his heart immediately dissipated by a third. A surge of heat spread like sparks from his nose, crackling and rushing towards his ears, igniting a faint burning sensation. Perhaps they burned away his resentment, as his mind became clear as snow.

After leaving the ward, the strange sour-sweet sensation quickly dissipated, and Yin Ren directly contacted the base—

“There’s a high possibility that there’s a large Primordial Elemental hiding in the school. Be careful, and don’t let Ge Tingting and Huang Jin separate. Keep a close eye on Luo Chunlei’s home. Oh, right, is Zhang Hejun still recovering in the hospital? Don’t let her come to school.”

“Is it that serious?” Lu Xiaohe sounded somewhat surprised. “If it’s just corruption, regular Elementals can do it too, right?”

After all, Evil Force was akin to the flesh of a Primordial Elemental. As for whether it came from a mosquito’s leg or a dead elephant, no one could tell. Having a large Elemental guard this place… compared to Mr. Qiu, who started a massacre as soon as he made a move, this seemed too small-scale.

“I’m very certain.” Yin Ren emphasized his tone. “My, cough, flesh puppet almost got damaged.”

“The poisoning of ‘Zhang San’ wasn’t intentional on your part?” Lu Xiaohe actually stopped typing this time and took a breath. “I thought you deliberately arranged it—”

“No, that was a deliberate attack. Report it to Li Nian and Fu Xingchuan on your end and have them prepare emergency plans near the school.”

Lu Xiaohe calmly agreed. “Mm, since the motives of the other side are unclear, it’s better to be cautious. That’s all for now, I received a message from the hospital. I’ll go and take a look.”

“Wait, help me investigate someone.” Yin Ren stopped her. “A janitor in the middle school department, around forty years old, with a gloomy appearance despite having Maitreya-like features. Look into this person’s background.”

“Okay.”

Just as Lu Xiaohe hung up the call with Yin Ren, she hurriedly answered a video call on WeChat—it was a video request from Sun Qi’an, and she had ignored it for quite a while.

Confirming the encryption of the connection, Lu Xiaohe turned off the camera and then accepted the call.

In the video, Sun Qi’an was pushing Zhang Hejun in a wheelchair, basking in the sun in the hospital courtyard.

“Hey, Xiao Lu.” Sun Qi’an waved at the camera and smiled softly. “Sorry to bother you, but Hejun wants to talk to you… I don’t really understand your work, so why don’t you two have a chat?”

“I’m a bit busy right now…” Lu Xiaohe was about to refuse when her vision suddenly shook violently. Before she could react, the phone was already in Zhang Hejun’s hands.

“Are you Lu Xiaohe Jie?”

Zhang Hejun’s voice carried an indescribable sense of fear. Before Lu Xiaohe could speak, she started speaking rapidly.

“I… I took a nap at noon and dreamt of a very thin aunt. She was crying and shouting for ‘Lu Xiaohe’. I thought it was a nightmare, but then Sun Jie mentioned that she actually has a friend named ‘Lu Xiaohe’.”

Lu Xiaohe’s heart skipped a beat, and she reflexively covered her mouth. It took her a moment to regain her calm tone. “Hejun, can you describe the appearance of that aunt in detail?”

“She had short hair and was very thin. She was barefoot and wearing grass-green checkered pajamas… Oh, right, her eyebrows were particularly light, and there was a red mole below her right eyebrow.”

Lu Xiaohe closed her eyes.

That was her mother, He Huan.

Her mother disappeared while wearing grass-green checkered pajamas. Her mother had a particular fondness for green, and Lu Xiaohe had given her that set of pajamas as a birthday gift last year.

The hand holding the phone turned cold, and the sound of blood flowing through her ears became exceptionally noisy. Her heartbeat pounded against her eardrums. Zhang Hejun’s voice was light and soft, like warm feathers, but every word she uttered intensified the dizziness in Lu Xiaohe’s head.

“She was crawling on the ground, crying and screaming non-stop, looking particularly distressed… Xiaohe Jie, do you know her?”

“I know her. I know her,” Lu Xiaohe murmured, lifting her eyes to the flickering screen in front of her.

“Who is she?” Zhang Hejun asked. Even Sun Qi’an leaned closer, and their eyes were fixed on Lu Xiaohe.

Two gentle and melodious voices merged together—

“Lu Xiaohe, who is she?”

With a click, Lu Xiaohe failed to hold onto the phone, and it fell onto the table. The video call was still connected, although Lu Xiaohe’s face wasn’t visible. However, those two gazes seemed to pierce through the radio waves, stabbing into the depths of Lu Xiaohe’s heart.

The two people in the video seemed frozen in the frame. In the clear sunlight, they wore smiles, motionless, waiting for Lu Xiaohe’s answer.

“…Who is she?” they repeated.

Lu Xiaohe stared blankly at her own hand.

Zhang Hejun was pitiable, and Luo Chunlei was detestable. But in the end, it was just a conflict between children that shouldn’t escalate to a matter of life and death. The atmosphere at Haigu Secondary School was strange, but it was also governed by the 1,000-year-old Great Celestial Master Yin Ren. Whether she was there or not wouldn’t make much of a difference.

She came to Shian to take a risk and earn money for her mother’s medical expenses… But now her mother was in so much pain, what was she doing? Even if Shian could open the passage to the Other Side, what could she do?

She couldn’t do anything at all. She was just a joke.

“…She is my mother,” Lu Xiaohe murmured in response.

“Oh, I see.” Sun Qi’an approached the camera to the point where her face almost stuck to the camera. The brilliant sunlight was blocked behind her, leaving only a dark, meat-brown color in the frame, along with an unmoving pair of eyes.

“Sorry, it was just a dream. Maybe this child had seen Auntie somewhere before.” Sun Qi’an spoke softly, as if coaxing a child. “Don’t take it to heart.”

Lu Xiaohe didn’t answer.

Dark thoughts, like mold, grew wildly in her mind. They emitted a deadly bitterness that enveloped all her thoughts.

Her mother had been resting inside the house, so Zhang Hejun couldn’t have seen her. The Other Side was to some extent connected to dreams, and what Zhang Hejun saw must have been her mother.

Her mother was suffering. She was left alone in the unknown Other Side, suffering every minute and every second.

Yin Ren had promised to save her mother, but now he was busy playing the Great Celestial Master on campus, showing no intention of researching how to save people from the Other Side… Since that Primordial Elemental hadn’t caused any serious trouble, wouldn’t it be better to focus on rescuing the missing people first? Why create unnecessary complications at such a critical moment?

Worry, anger, disgust, panic… Various emotions surged like a tide, and Lu Xiaohe’s vision darkened. When she realized it, she had already angrily thrown the keyboard and phone onto the ground.

She didn’t know when the video call had been disconnected. Lu Xiaohe slowly touched her cheeks, finding tears streaming down her face.

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, slumping onto the couch. After a few minutes, she sent a message to Ge Tingting and Huang Jin, then limped back to the computer. With an expressionless face, she pulled up the information on the school janitor.

As she scrolled through the photos, she quickly found a male who matched Yin Ren’s description.

Xin Qule, male, 45 years old, single. He used to be an ordinary office worker until the game company he worked for went bankrupt when he was 38. Unable to find a job after being unemployed, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol and ended up in the hospital. Eventually, he came to Haigu Secondary School to work as a janitor. His background seemed clean, without anything suspicious.

Lu Xiaohe stared at the photo for a while before closing the page.

……

Amidst the autumn leaves, Mr. Janitor carried his outdated joke book and slowly walked back to his office.

His office was an extremely small room that could only fit a single bed and an old desk. The surface of the desk was covered in scratches, with cold food and a plastic-framed desk mirror on top.

The janitor—Mr. Le—dragged the chair and positioned it above the mirror.

However, while his face moved away, his reflection in the mirror remained.

“How’s the situation?” asked the gentle voice.

“It’s similar to your speculation,” Mr. Le said, poking at the cold stir-fried vegetables with his chopsticks.

“A Primordial Elemental has infiltrated Shian and is currently opposing us.” His voice carried subtle fatigue. “Being able to withstand my poison, it should be a cub that’s a descendant of ‘him’. When ‘he’ disappeared, the new offspring didn’t appear for a long time. It turns out it was born on this side.”

“…Do you regret it?”

The image in the mirror remained silent for a long time, calmly inquiring.

“You are close in age to ‘Sorrow’, and compared to her, you are more influenced by humans. I want to hear your thoughts—if you were to bring this cub back now and raise it carefully, perhaps the ‘Other Side’ could return to its former state.”

“Do you regret it, ‘Joy*’?”

*Clarity: This Elemental is called ‘Joy/Happiness’ (快乐) while the alias he uses, Mr. Le (乐) which means happy (derived from 快乐).

Mr. Le didn’t answer immediately.

“I really like human games. From the early stone-throwing games to the current electronic games, I’m very fond of them.”

After a long silence, Mr. Le suddenly spoke up.

“Do you know, this body used to belong to a game developer. I have earnestly played the games he created. <The Legend of Resurrection>… You should have come across it when you were investigating Unit 9 of Shian.”

The image in the mirror remained silent.

“For humans, ‘escaping death’ is a mystery worth pursuing for thousands of years. The theme of <The Legend of Resurrection> is the same. According to the game, you have to endure countless hardships to successfully clear it.”

Mr. Le showed a nostalgic smile.

“We have all seen the best of the world, haven’t we? Everything now is just a so-called sequel to saving the world… How can there be challengers who, after the sacrifice of their companions, don’t want to continue but instead demand to delete their saved progress?”

“… ” The image in the mirror didn’t answer, only showing a bittersweet smile.

“I understand. You don’t intend to turn back.”

The image continued to speak in a gentle female voice.

“I will contact Luo Chunlei according to the plan for the upcoming task.”

“Go ahead.”

Mr. Le put down his chopsticks and carefully put away the joke book. After tidying up the desk, the image in the mirror returned to normal. Mr. Le made a few gestures to his hair in the mirror, and strands of striking white hair scattered among his black hair.

“I am no longer suitable for this role,” he said softly.

Outside the janitor’s office, on the corridor one level below.

“After Lu Xiaohe warned us, why are you so proactive?”

Huang Jin’s plaintive voice echoed in the corridor.

“You’re investigating so diligently; be careful not to get mistaken for the thief you’re trying to find… Why isn’t there an elevator in this damn building!”

“Maybe you’re getting old. Why don’t you rest here now, and I’ll explore the upper two floors myself,” Ge Tingting coldly spat out the harsh truth.

“Bullshit, I’m still young! And didn’t Lu Jie say we shouldn’t separate?” Huang Jin retorted, gasping for breath. “And she clearly said we should take a break. Do you not understand things selectively?”

“We’ll finish patrolling this building! We can’t give up halfway,” Ge Tingting firmly said. “After the lunch break, we’ll go back.”

Mr. Le tidied his hairstyle and straightened the wrinkled collar of his uniform. He grabbed his thermos filled with sweetened water and opened the door.

He held onto the handrail and descended the steps one by one, coincidentally encountering two young people arguing.

At the sight of Mr. Le, Ge Tingting’s pupils contracted. She politely lowered her head. “Uncle.”

Huang Jin took a few steps forward and stood on the same step as Ge Tingting. He cleared his throat. “What a coincidence, you also… you also…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the thoughts in the janitor’s mind turned into a mosaic in an instant. Huang Jin hadn’t had a chance to warn them when a tremendous feeling of joy engulfed him.

He had never experienced such happiness before.

It was like soaking in warm and sweet pool water, where all worries and troubles transformed into honey coating his throat. All the weight seemed to disappear, and his body felt as light as if only his soul remained. In boundless delight, Huang Jin’s thoughts almost ceased to turn.

He only felt that his previous life was filled with pain, and at this moment, he was truly born in the true sense.

The allure of money, the joy brought by friendship and infatuation… they were nothing but sugar residue in the midst of the current sweetness. Having tasted this flavor, he would willingly die.

Supreme joy, supreme…

Suddenly, that happiness vanished without a trace.

An immensely heavy life struck Huang Jin head-on, and the bitter, sticky memories once again enveloped him. He instantly collapsed to the ground, nearly rolling down the stairs. He wanted to move, but his mind felt numb. In the midst of extreme emotional fluctuations, he was on the verge of losing the strength to breathe.

Huang Jin widened his eyes significantly. In his vision, Ge Tingting also collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth while experiencing epileptic-like convulsions.

And that mosaic figure slowly approached, grabbing hold of their collars and dragging them toward the office.

“Human beings are such interesting creatures.”

The words spoken came with a phlegmy tone from the mosaic figure. The voice was low, making it hard to tell if it was speaking to them or muttering to itself.

“Every time you experience happiness, you always seek stronger thrills. Your judgment of happiness is always changing, and I’ve been watching. I thought that your increasing reproduction would be a good thing for me…”

“In the past, you would be happy with simple and straightforward little things, then it became about group identity, and after that, more complicated concepts. Lately, many people have been using various chemicals, attempting to achieve instant gratification…”

Mr. Le opened the cramped office and placed the two individuals against the wall. He panted for a moment, then two gaps opened up. Shian’s communication devices flew out of their pockets and were tossed into the gaps.

Ge Tingting and Huang Jin just stared with wide eyes without moving their fingers, like soulless puppets.

The haggard “janitor” crouched in front of them and let out a long sigh. Mr. Le extended his wrinkled hand and ran it through Ge Tingting’s slightly longer black hair.

“I used to be the ‘priest’ in the group. I was supposed to be the ‘priest’ in the group.”

With unblinking eyes, Ge Tingting watched as Mr. Le sorrowfully lowered his gaze.

“It was you who turned me into the ‘Lord of Curses’ with your own hands. I can’t be blamed for that.”

“Farewell, little girl, young man.”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Here’s the connection to arc 2. Mr. Le possessed the body of the game developer who worked on <The Legend of Resurrection>, which foreshadows why Zhong Chengshuo represented Death and why Feng Qi saw Yin Ren as Oberskras (the darkness… the offspring of Death).

Ah… These links… so good.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 198: Ambivalence

Luo Chunlei had a good foundation, and her appearance carried a unique youthful innocence. Unfortunately, the person opposite her, “student Zhang San”, not to mention his physique, was already approaching middle age in terms of mentality. Zhong Chengshuo responded with an “mm” and continued to focus on packing his bag, saying, “Go on.”

The tone was as cold and unfamiliar as a textbook stranger.

“In fact, everyone wasn’t this extreme before. I just came back from being ill, and everyone started acting strange, including what happened to Zhang Hejun. The teacher said it was an accident, but I don’t believe it.”

Luo Chunlei blinked her large eyes as she spoke worriedly.

“I’ve been paying attention to you today, and you’re a person with a strong sense of justice. Zhang Hejun is my good friend. Can I join you in finding the culprit?”

After speaking, she put on a determined look, as if she was ready to fight for justice for her friend*.

*Beat the yamen drum to demand justice (击鼓鸣冤) Refers to the old system in ancient China where people would beat the drum to air out their grievances and demand justice.

Zhong Chengshuo said honestly, “But I don’t know you. What if you’re the culprit?”

The determination on Luo Chunlei’s face faltered for a moment but quickly regained its composure. “It’s fine if you don’t believe me. I’ll just find the culprit on my own.”

Yin Ren hissed near Zhong Chengshuo’s ear.

This girl’s acting skills were good; even better than those third-rate melodrama actors he had watched. What was even rarer was that she didn’t show any nervousness or guilt but rather a faint confidence and excitement.

For a child, this level of confidence was a bit peculiar. If he could get close to her, he might be able to further understand the source of her confidence…

“I know Hejun better than you, and I understand this class better than you. Whether you want it or not, I will help you!” Miss Luo Chunlei continued her assault by sending the pillow while he was drowsy*.

*It’s a metaphorical way of saying he’s looking for help, and she just happens to be the help he needs.

“Then, do your best.” Zhong Chengshuo nodded.

Yin Ren: “…” Alright, his attempt to get closer to her failed miserably.

Luo Chunlei: “…”

Luo Chunlei took a deep breath and forced a smile as she continued, “Let’s talk about Wu Cheng. He’s the one who came to find you today. I’ve been suspicious of him for a long time. He’s been running around after school a lot recently, and he even had a big fight with Hejun because Hejun accidentally bumped into his backpack… Believe it or not, I’ve given you a clue!”

With a slight blush on her cheeks, she huffed heavily, grabbed her bag, and ran off.

“Do you want to go to the cafeteria for a snack? I think you’ll like the braised pork here.” Zhong Chengshuo turned to Yin Ren smoothly and shifted the conversation to the next topic. Luo Chunlei deliberately abandoned her poetic teenage sentiments and transformed into a mature adult who had just blown through the door.

“Let’s go eat nearby. Since she handed us a clue, we can’t let her good intentions go to waste.”

Lord Ghost King’s mind was momentarily swayed by the mention of braised pork, but Zhong Chengshuo pointed out that a child who appeared to be eleven years old devouring four to five catties of braised meat would likely become a legend in the cafeteria by tomorrow.

“Well, let’s go to the nearby pork cutlet shop. My classmates used to love it there,” Zhong Chengshuo suggested earnestly, making an effort to recall.

“It’s close by, so we should be able to finish eating before nine.”

“Isn’t it too late to go for a late-night snack now? Wu Cheng might be waiting outside, ready to tail you,” Yin Ren said with a smile.

Wu Cheng had fought with others, collided with Zhong Chengshuo’s table, and repeatedly caused trouble. This time, he was clearly furious. Meanwhile, Luo Chunlei glanced over every now and then, but her gaze wasn’t as simple as “paying attention”. It seemed she was eager to push Wu Cheng into the spotlight, indicating that the two of them had likely reached some kind of agreement.

Perhaps this trickery might deceive children of the same age, but it fell far short for a thousand-year-old Great Celestial Master.

“After we finish our snack, Luo Chunlei should be close to home by then.” Zhong Chengshuo carefully calculated. “You can enjoy your meal, and I can also determine if she has any specific plans.”

“Then I shall reluctantly comply.”

As Yin Ren was about to leave, he hesitated for a moment at the classroom door. Half of the corruption source was left at the school by the students, and as his dark hair brushed past, all the Evil Force of the corruption source was absorbed without a trace.

Hmm, it tastes average.

……

Inside the small fried pork cutlet shop, steam wafted through the air. The freshly cooked pork cutlet was crispy and juicy right out of the pan. It was perfect for this chilly autumn night. With a crisp sound, the tender meat and fat burst of warm juices inside the mouth.

However, Yin Ren found it a bit difficult to eat as he was still in his invisible state. Zhong Chengshuo would symbolically pick up a small piece and discreetly feed it to him, taking advantage of the corner for cover, mouthful by mouthful.

The chopsticks danced over the food. Though this person usually had a cleanliness obsession and stayed away from the greasy table edge, at this moment, he didn’t even frown. Lord Ghost King could have used his hair to discreetly consume the food, but at the moment, it seemed like he had forgotten about that as he took each bite confidently.

At the edge of the frenzied vortex, two non-humans sat in the corner. They were currently both wearing school uniforms and listening to outdated foreign songs. Yin Ren took a bite of the pork cutlet, and Zhong Chengshuo had a mouthful of cabbage slathered in sauce along with mild fish meat, enjoying their meal in a harmonious atmosphere.

Another wave of customers entered the shop, and the music couldn’t drown out the sound of tables and chairs rubbing against each other. Yin Ren scanned the shop with his gaze and indeed spotted Wu Cheng.

That brat deliberately sat in the most conspicuous spot in the shop. Unfortunately, his pocket money was limited, and he only ordered a small bowl of udon noodles. When he looked at the pork cutlet and fish in front of Zhong Chengshuo, his gaze was full of resentment.

Yin Ren shook his head with a sigh. Almost at the same time, Lu Xiaohe’s voice came through his headset.

“Luo Chunlei is on the move again. She said in the anonymous group that she’s going to conduct a ‘textual execution’ livestream. Be cautious and make sure to control the situation in a timely manner.”

“No problem, let me switch to the screen.”

In the next moment, the updates from the group appeared on Dog Thing in real-time. Yin Ren put down his phone and gestured for Zhong Chengshuo to watch together.

[The bitch’s relative is also a bitch. I’ve vomited eighteen times today. That guy really thinks highly of himself. He’s just a hypocrite claiming to be looking for the culprit. It’s laughable.]

Luo Chunlei swiftly posted in the group.

[It sounds so stupid that I can’t stand it. Execution, execution!]

[Is it an inherited disease? www so severe http://www.]

Luo Chunlei: [Definitely knocking him off his moral high ground. Tonight is the second episode of <Eliminating Evil for the People>~]”

[How are you going to deal with the new transfer student, o’ chivalrous knight?]

[It’s a secret ❤️.] Luo Chunlei responded this way.

Zhong Chengshuo carefully chewed the last strands of cabbage and took a sip of hot tea. “It seems like she did indeed discuss it with Wu Cheng.”

“Shall we go?” Yin Ren stretched his muscles contentedly.

Seeing that they had finished eating and were about to pay, Wu Cheng quickly stood up, deliberately making a loud noise. He exaggeratedly slung his backpack on his back and leisurely walked towards the exit of the shop.

“Follow him.” Zhong Chengshuo swiftly settled the bill.

Wu Cheng was twelve years old and had matured early. He had already reached a height of nearly 1.7 meters, making him an easy target to spot. In the illusion, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were both around 1.5 meters tall, so they followed him without much concealment, gradually deviating from his path as they walked behind him.

Wu Cheng led them to an old and abandoned workshop in the old town area.

It was a deserted five-story building with a locked door. It was just past nine, and there were few lights in the vicinity, with hardly any people around. Wu Cheng skillfully jumped through a window and entered, immediately illuminating the corridor with a flashlight.

Zhong Chengshuo diligently followed, going deeper into the building with Wu Cheng. The place was damp and decaying, covered in spiderwebs. Mold stains formed patterns in the corners of the walls, buried in shadows like twisted faces crowded together. The actual faces on the posters had lost their color, and their features blurred into a mess.

Several resentful spirits with stretched-out arms and legs, like spiders, lurked behind the broken door, and their dirty hair dangled through the door crack.

“There’s no corruption source here, but there’s enough evil qi nearby. Something might have happened here before. In another three to five years, perhaps a Resentment Basket will form.”

Lord Ghost King savored the delicious pork cutlet while his tone sounded a bit like a museum guide.

“This time, it’s probably just children causing trouble without the involvement of any other forces.”

Zhong Chengshuo nodded. He played his part thoroughly, occasionally using his phone’s flashlight for illumination. The two of them strolled through the building as if they were exploring a haunted house, but poor Wu Cheng was struggling in front of them—

Wu Cheng was breathing heavily; whether to attract attention or bolster his courage, his footsteps were unusually loud. He circled the first floor twice, then tremblingly ascended to the second floor. In less than half a minute, he disappeared into a dark doorway, and his flashlight suddenly went out, making him seem to vanish into thin air.

Zhong Chengshuo: “…His breathing is still quite loud.”

Yin Ren: “Mm, I can hear his heartbeat. That kid is standing close by inside.”

A few strands of hair playfully crawled through the shadows, probing into the doorway, only to find it empty. Yin Ren’s smile faded for a moment, and he tapped his earpiece.

“Xiaohe, Wu Cheng is trying to lead us into the elevator shaft.”

The first floor was over four meters high, and the reserved space at the bottom of the elevator shaft was nearly two meters. Falling from a height of six to seven meters, even if there were no sharp objects at the bottom, breaking a leg would be inevitable.

Lu Xiaohe: “…What do you plan to do? By the way, according to regulations, you should withdraw at this point.”

“I’ll teach him a little lesson.” Yin Ren happily ignored the latter part of the sentence.

“Such behavior is despicable.” Outside the earpiece, Zhong Chengshuo nodded in agreement.

Zhong Chengshuo stretched his joints and walked confidently toward the elevator shaft without hesitation.

There was no longer a door near the elevator shaft; it looked like a slightly larger doorway. The surrounding area was covered in fine gravel, making it a bit slippery to walk on. The elevator buttons were covered in dust, and in the darkness, they almost blended with the walls.

Yin Ren held Zhong Chengshuo’s neck loosely from behind, and Zhong Chengshuo’s steps were extremely steady. When he stepped into that darkness, even his heartbeat remained calm.

As expected, Zhong Chengshuo stepped into empty space with one foot. A feeling of weightlessness instantly engulfed him, and the hair on his skin stood on end.

Just before the fall, Yin Ren caught sight of the hiding Wu Cheng—the boy with a swollen nose was hiding behind a damaged part of the elevator shaft wall, which had a large chunk peeled off, leaving just enough space for a person to stand on.

In an instant, Yin Ren twisted his wrist and threw Dog Thing into the elevator shaft.

The teenage Ghost King’s hair was the first to touch the ground, and his soft wings firmly caught Zhong Chengshuo. The bottom of the elevator shaft was filled with rusty metal debris, and if someone had actually fallen down, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Just as Zhong Chengshuo was about to speak, his lips were pressed shut by Yin Ren’s index finger. Yin Ren cleared his throat and imitated Zhong Chengshuo’s voice, letting out a series of cries.

“Help! Help me! My leg hurts! There’s so much blood!”

Zhong Chengshuo: “……”

Listening to “himself” wailing and sobbing was truly a new experience. He silently held onto the wings, observing the performance of the Great Celestial Master.

“Wu Cheng, are you there? …It was my fault during the day. You don’t need to save me. Just throw down my phone…” Yin Ren hoarsely choked, sounding desperate. “Or you can help me call for a doctor. If this continues, I’ll die, wuwuwu!”

A strand of black hair twisted up the floors, quietly forming an eyeball at the end. In Yin Ren’s vision, Wu Cheng carefully climbed back to the elevator shaft. He didn’t respond to “Zhong San’s” call but silently picked up the phone at the elevator entrance and fiercely slammed it against the ground twice.

The gadget was mercilessly beaten, and its battery plummeted. Within a few minutes, it angrily blacked out.

Once he confirmed that the phone couldn’t be turned on again, Wu Cheng used tissues to pick up the gadget and forcefully threw it down the elevator shaft.

“Idiot!” After completing all this, Wu Cheng covered his nose and shouted, “Serves you right! Serves you right for showing off! Serves you right for following me!”

“Save me…” Zhang San’s voice gradually weakened. “Ah… Ahh…”

“Just wait. I’ll go ahead, and you can stay here and maintain your dignity.” Wu Cheng’s voice trembled a bit. He turned his back, resolutely refusing to look down the elevator shaft.

Yin Ren remained silent, only softly whimpering and sobbing. He also released a bit of evil qi, causing a surging smell of blood to gradually fill the air.

Sweat trickled down Wu Cheng’s forehead as he muttered a few more curses, then walked away. Before leaving, he even remembered to take out a water bottle from his backpack and dilute the footprints on the nearby ground. After completing all this, he finally took out his phone, wiped off the sweat, and sent a message to Luo Chunlei:

[I haven’t finished my math homework yet.]

Immediately after, he left without looking back.

At the same time, Dog Thing laid in the pile of waste for a moment, reluctantly extending its small legs and running back to Yin Ren’s side. Its screen lit up again, and the messages from the anonymous group continued to flicker.

Luo Chunlei: [I calculated it myself; a despicable person will get what they deserve. Mission accomplished.]

[Double kill, awesome!]

[All talk, no action*. The little cockroach is still alive, but brother cockroach can die? I’m right in the city, watching.]

*Loud thunder but little rain (雷声大雨点小) Idiom referring to a situation where there’s a lot of noise and talk but little action or results.

Luo Chunlei ruthlessly countered: [Watch out. Don’t let me find out who you are.]

……

The next day, Zhong Chengshuo was the first to arrive in the classroom and sat in his seat with his homework neatly organized.

Yin Ren chewed on a tea egg in his mouth, casting a skeptical glance around—

Clearly, when he left, he absorbed all the Evil Force corruption, but as the night passed, they sprouted again, even more than before.

“Xiao Ge, Xiao Huang, did anyone approach the school last night?” Yin Ren struggled to swallow his breakfast.

“I didn’t notice anyone,” Huang Jin said bitterly. “Xiao Ge wasn’t feeling well yesterday, and she said her investigations might not be accurate. Remember to check on her at noon; something seems off with her condition.”

“I see. What about your side, Xiaohe?”

“Everything seems normal. There were no suspicious individuals or objects that approached.”

Lu Xiaohe retrieved specific data.

“The reappearance of Evil Force occurred shortly after the end of evening self-study, when there were still hundreds of people on campus. I can only determine one thing—those sources of corruption regained their intensity of Evil Force in an instant. Yin Ren, do you know what this signifies?”

It signified that the one who restored the Evil Force wasn’t human.

Since the sources of corruption weren’t external and couldn’t reproduce on their own, the only remaining possibility was that someone within the school was directly creating the sources of corruption. The divination of the origin of the carriers of corruption that indicated it came “from all directions” could now be explained.

Therefore, Yin Ren brazenly provoked and completely cleared out the corruption on campus.

Unexpectedly, the response from the other side was also… loud. It was as if they couldn’t wait to tell him that this matter involved a powerful entity that was “non-human”, rather than being the work of Sunken Society.

However, Mr. Qiu was hard to catch while Qi Xin was elusive. All the Primordial Elementals were doing their best to conceal themselves, so what was the meaning behind this inexplicable move?

Yin Ren leaned back against the top of Zhong Chengshuo’s head, who was gradually furrowing his brow. “Zhong Ge, let’s return to the Shian temporary base at noon. I have something to discuss with everyone.”

“I also—” Zhong Chengshuo was interrupted by a series of coughs before he could finish the word “also”.

When Wu Cheng entered the classroom with a milk bag in his mouth, he saw Zhang San sitting intact at the desk. Instantly, he choked on the milk and started coughing incessantly.

Following closely behind was Luo Chunlei. Seeing Zhong Chengshuo sitting unharmed, a flash of surprise briefly crossed her face, but the interest in her gaze grew deeper.

“Good morning!” She sweetly smiled at Zhong Chengshuo.

“Good morning,” Zhong Chengshuo politely responded.

“You…no. You…last night…it’s impossible…” Wu Cheng rushed to Zhong Chengshuo’s side, then instinctively took two steps back. He rubbed his bruised, purple nose and looked around in confusion. “Yesterday—yesterday there was such a strong smell of blood…”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. I’m busy, so please don’t disturb me if there’s nothing else.”

Wu Cheng disregarded the onlookers nearby. His fingers trembled and sweat formed on his forehead. “Where were you last night? Tell me, where were you last night!”

“I grabbed some supper last night, then went home. Nothing special,” Zhong Chengshuo responded while staring at him with his pitch-black eyes. “Is that enough?”

“No, you followed me last night. We… We were eating at the pork cutlet restaurant. I know—I know you followed me…”

“I told you, I went home after eating supper.” Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes remained fixed on Wu Cheng without blinking—when he didn’t display any emotions, his gaze indeed sent chills down one’s spine, and Yin Ren knew it well. “And you were walking ahead of me. I remember it very clearly.”

“No, no, it’s impossible. Last night…last night…you followed…” There was a hint of sobbing in Wu Cheng’s voice. “If it wasn’t you, then…”

Zhong Chengshuo shook his head. “Classmate, it’s time for morning reading. If there’s nothing else, could you please leave me alone?”

He paused for a moment, forcing a somewhat stiff smile.

“I haven’t finished my math homework yet.” Zhong Chengshuo emphasized each word.

Upon hearing the familiar excuse, Wu Cheng swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and a sob escaped his throat. The next second, he rushed out of the classroom without even putting down his school bag, leaving behind a faint odor of urine in the air. The surrounding students looked at each other before chasing after him, howling.

On the other hand, Luo Chunlei remained motionless, with a relaxed expression. She neatly organized her desk and chatted with the girls around her.

……

During the long break, Zhong Chengshuo stood up enthusiastically, ready to continue his “annoy everyone” plan. However, to his surprise, Luo Chunlei, leaving behind her usually well-acquainted female companion, was the first to leave the classroom.

Yin Ren patted Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder, gesturing for him to stay in the classroom, and flew after her alone.

Luo Chunlei skillfully climbed the stairs, heading straight for the top floor of the school. She turned her head, finding no one around, and entered the women’s restroom on the top floor.

Yin Ren: “…”

The Great Celestial Master silently flew to the outer wall and summoned the fierce ghost Hu Tao.

When she was summoned, Hu Tao was still holding a bag of potato chips in her arms. She glanced back and forth between Yin Ren and the women’s restroom a few times with a puzzled look before showing a hint of satisfaction. “Not bad. You still have some principles. Why did you call me?”

“Help me confirm the situation of the girl inside.” Yin Ren pointed to the stall where Luo Chunlei was located. “I can listen to the sounds myself.”

Hu Tao made an OK gesture and dove into the old restroom.

As Yin Ren had expected, this girl didn’t come here for physiological needs. Before long, he heard Luo Chunlei’s whisper.

“The transfer student in our class is not normal. There must be something supernatural about him.” Luo Chunlei’s voice was very low, as if she was talking to someone. “Zhang Hejun’s relative is interesting. He might be from your side, like one of those self-proclaimed Taoist exorcists.”

Immediately, there was complete silence, and Yin Ren couldn’t hear any sound.

“Mm-hmm, I know.” Luo Chunlei, however, seemed to have received some kind of response. “Can I kill him then… since finding classmates is definitely not an option. Even the biggest guy in our class is useless. I thought it was just the girls before, but now even the boys are so cowardly.”

“To be honest, he’s the type of person I dislike the most. I feel uncomfortable just looking at him. I’ll be even happier if he disappears!” she added in a coquettish tone. “I can’t give up. Besides, Zhang Hejun is so stupid, but this person is more challenging, so it’s more fun.”

The following silence grew even longer.

“Huh? Do I really need your help? It’s not fun if adults help… How about I try again, and if it still doesn’t work, then you can help me.” Luo Chunlei’s coquettish tone became a bit eerie.

“Thank you, thank you so much—”

After a while, Luo Chunlei hummed a song as she left the stall. Hu Tao, who had been secretly observing the whole process while holding her potato chips, furrowed her brow as she left the stall.

“It’s very strange.”

Before Yin Ren could ask, Hu Tao spoke first.

“That girl was talking to her own mirror. I saw it. Besides her reflection, there was no one else in the mirror—is she mentally unstable? Talking to herself? Well, she couldn’t see me. I even brought my face right in front of hers, and her eyes didn’t even blink.”

“Thank you for your help.”

Yin Ren casually severed a strand of hair as payment for Hu Tao’s services. After confirming that there was no one else in the restroom, the Great Celestial Master entered with a stern face and circled the area several times, just as Hu Tao had described—he didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary either.

It was a peculiar situation.

Yin Ren descended from the top floor, checking the condition of the corruption on each floor. By the time he returned near the classroom, two classes had ended, and the break was about to be over.

After the next class, it would be lunch break, and he could discuss it with Zhong Chengshuo. Yin Ren floated a bit faster and slipped quietly through the back door crack.

However, before he could float into the room, he heard a scream from inside—

“Find a teacher quickly!”

A sharp female voice shouted.

“Zhang San is in trouble! Find a teacher—!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 197: Sincerity

Shian’s underground laboratory.

The black gray “opening” hung in the center of the immaculate room, with the edges gradually fading to pure black, constantly moving like a living creature. Although the central black gray texture appeared consistent and devoid of light and shadow, as long as you gazed at it, there was always a sense of being sucked into a vortex. Moreover, this thing gave the impression of being flat, but no matter what angle you turned, it still faced the observer directly.

Outside the room, a group of people were busy in front of computers. Numbers and images flashed rapidly on the screens, accompanied by faint warning sounds.

Those data traveled through wires, riding on radio waves, and eventually shrank into a small window on Li Nian’s computer.

“The rate of homicide cases hasn’t significantly increased, and the growth rate is still acceptable. The external sources of corruption are still being recovered, and although new sources of corruption are still entering the market, overall, it’s within manageable limits.”

Professor Li listened to Xiang Jiang, who was reporting dryly across from him—he seemed more like he was reading a written report than actually reporting.

“…Overall, everything is fine. This week’s work is more or less like that.”

That was how he summarized it.

“Is that so?” Li Nian calmly moved the mouse, checking the data coming from the laboratory. “Do you really think Sunken Society would use so many years of research just to entertain us?”

Xiang Jiang looked up with a numb face. “The source of the corruption is still under investigation and verifying it will take a long time. Everything is being handled according to regulations.”

Clearly, he had no interest in reasoning or speculation.

“If Professor Li has a hypothesis that could be verified, I will assist you in making an application. Without evidence, it’s best to prioritize retaining manpower—we currently have a high workload in the police force, and the Emergency Management Department needs to keep sufficient personnel for emergencies.”

“You had a good grasp of the regulations.” Li Nian nodded. “Since we’ve come this far, let’s continue to handle our official duties.”

Only then did Xiang Jiang withdraw his gaze.

His eyes, like those of an old man, looked at the screen, reflecting a dim light.

Previously, when Fu Xingchuan was still in the office, he would always propose various outrageous hypotheses and sometimes send people to investigate without prior notice. At that time, Professor Li played the role of reining him in, driven to annoyance by his partner’s incessant arguments. But with Xiang Jiang, who couldn’t produce any meaningful output no matter how much pressure was applied, the office became unnervingly quiet, and the emptiness was enough to freeze one’s thoughts.

“The public opinion surrounding Haigu isn’t optimistic.”

Professor Li took the initiative to speak.

“Incidents of indiscriminate cases have been occurring, and residents are under high pressure. Excluding the homicides, there has been a 165.2% increase in extreme remarks and behaviors on the internet and a 347.7% increase in verbal and physical conflicts in reality compared to before…”

In fact, these past few days, the feeling outside became even more noticeable. Li Nian would simply walk on the street, and women and children around him would actively avoid this “fierce looking” adult man. The number of pedestrians on the commercial streets visibly decreased at night, and there was a pervasive sense of tension and fear in the air.

Despite the consumption of tobacco and alcohol had increased significantly, some people seemed to enjoy this atmosphere, and one could occasionally encounter intoxicated ruffians on the streets. The smell of alcohol and vomit became stronger in the night.

The unique sense of relaxation that was prevalent in Haigu silently disappeared, but—

“It’s not a big deal as long as no one dies,” Xiang Jiang casually remarked. “We’re not responsible for public opinion or the mental health of the residents. If you ask for my opinion… those are just additional effects of corruption that are not worth mentioning.”

“Not worth mentioning.” Li Nian pondered these words. “Considering your situation, I thought you would care.”

Xiang Jiang’s movements with the mouse came to a halt.

He slowly stood up and fixed his gaze on Li Nian like a dead person. Behind him, Xiang Hai’s neck twisted ninety degrees to the side, and his pale lips formed an exaggerated curve.

“Considering your situation, I thought you would know. That touch of Evil Force won’t change a person’s character, nor will it induce innocent people to commit acts of violence. It’s all human-caused calamity, and it’s naturally not our responsibility. As for conflicts on the internet, aren’t those people always so fond of ‘making a scene’? With things like this now, they are even more unreserved.”

Xiang Jiang spoke each word carefully, then picked up the barely touched cup as a symbolic gesture and poured himself a glass of water.

“You still care about what happened back then.”

“Of course, I care about what happened back then, but that’s not a reason for you to make a big deal out of it.”

Behind Xiang Jiang, Xiang Hai turned his head. His decaying mouth opened wide, emitting a foul stench. Unfortunately, Li Nian remained as calm as a mountain, and not even a single strand of his hair was ruffled by the fierce ghost.

Xiang Jiang patted the shoulder of his deceased twin brother, and Xiang Hai turned his neck, using his deformed hand to cover his mouth, whispering softly in his ear—

[They’re all lunatics.] The fierce ghost murmured with a voice tinged with amusement. [They’re all lunatics.]

On the other side, seeing Xiang Jiang insisting on downplaying the situation, Li Nian fell silent. He flipped through the research results provided by the laboratory—

The research connecting with the Other Side by cracking the corruption patterns on the wooden talisman and reproducing the conditions of disappearance based on emotional data was progressing smoothly.

In the past twenty years, except for enduring the highly corrupted “Charon”, no one could touch the Other Side. While Shian had conducted research on the artificial gaps, they could only reach the interstitial spaces like the Archive.

However, shortly after this experiment began, Jiao Lian could already sense the changes on the Other Side. In just one day, Shian successfully created an extremely unstable connection.

Li Nian dragged the window containing the experimental data and placed it next to the recent conflict reports in Haigu. Then, he pulled up the cases related to the spread of the corruption source.

Next, he accessed the case records of the investigation in Gengsheng Town.

He contemplated for a while, then recalled the hypothesis recently mentioned by Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo.

[The Other Side is a “network world” interconnected by the brains of numerous organisms serving as “devices”. The Primordial Elementals can be regarded as a unique form of life on the Other Side, seemingly deriving energy from biological emotions and capable of invading and manipulating beings with mental disorders or brain damage…]

Professor Li stared at the windows of various sizes on the screen, and his brow furrowed.

In the haze, he seemed to grasp something. But upon careful thought, that feeling sank amidst the complex threads of clues, making it difficult to reproduce.

……

Underground of the abandoned hospital, Sunken Society Haigu Branch.

Wei Huaqian, a half-step Charon, dismissed all his subordinates and remained alone in the spacious room.

This place was already an interstitial space, closer to the Other Side. With a hint of unease, he closed his eyes tightly, extended his left hand with its five fingers spread, and concentrated his power in his hand.

The next moment, the fingertips of that hand gradually became translucent, and then dissipated into the air. Soon after, the palm and the wrist followed suit… with a “crack” sound, his expensive watch fell to the floor.

This sudden occurrence seemed to awaken him. Wei Huaqian abruptly opened his eyes, and his left hand reappeared from thin air in an instant.

His fingertips still retained an indescribable and marvelous sensation.

It was light and relaxing, like an extraordinary experience of detaching from the physical body.

“The Other Side…” Wei Huaqian murmured softly, his lips slightly parted.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door was knocked on without any hesitation, and then the sound of the door lock clicking followed. The door creaked open, revealing a familiar face in front of Wei Huaqian.

Shen Mo, as always, didn’t wait for the host’s response and walked in on his own.

Most of the time, this person was involved in investigations on the Other Side, but now Shen Mo had been staying on “this side” for a long time, which made Wei Huaqian uncomfortable—from head to toe. If it weren’t for Shen Mo being the only remaining “Charon” for the research related to the Other Side, Wei Huaqian would have wished for a curse to put an end to him.

“Are you supplying special corruption sources to the schools in Haigu? Why am I not privy to any plans?” Shen Mo got straight to the point.

“I’m not deliberately corrupting the schools,” Wei Huaqian patiently replied. “Schools are indeed good places for corruption, but students have limited activity trajectories, making it easy to be discovered.”

“I also thought the same. You wouldn’t be foolish to that extent. But there seems to be some activity on the Other Side, and the corruption in the schools there seems… concentrated.”

Shen Mo intriguingly rubbed his fingers, while Wei Huaqian snorted dismissively.

“Since it’s not part of Sunken Society of Haigu, we both know who it is. At this critical moment, it’s better not to offend those—what do they call them in Shian?—better not to offend those Primordial Elementals.”

“…You don’t care about the corruption source?”

“I don’t care,” Wei Huaqian replied indifferently. “Who knows what they’re thinking? I’m only responsible for preparing for the Divine Descent. You should focus on assisting with the Divine Descent as well.”

Shen Mo let out a sneer and plopped himself down on the genuine leather sofa in Wei Huaqian’s room. His gaze wandered around the luxuriously styled chandelier for a few laps before finally looking at Wei Huaqian.

“Fine, I get it. Since you don’t care, I’ll have someone look into it on my end.”

“…Wait.”

When Shen Mo was about to leave, Wei Huaqian called out to him.

“Are you thinking that someone with the surname Wei is short-sighted and might be doomed by the Primordial Elementals?” Wei Huaqian slowly clenched his left hand into a fist. “I only know one thing—their intention is not to kill everyone, and for me, that’s enough.”

“Neither you nor I stand a chance against them. And for them, someone who ‘doesn’t care about humans’ is more useful than someone who ‘cares about their own kind’… That way, you and I will always be safe. But I must remind you, knowing too much can be dangerous. Be careful not to lose your life.”

“I see. Xiao Wei, even after all these years, you’re still so cautious.”

Shen Mo didn’t look back.

“Don’t worry, it won’t involve Sunken Society of Haigu. Shian has already sent people to intervene. I don’t need to personally get involved.”

……

“Need to be annoying.”

During physics class, Zhong Chengshuo fell into deep thought. Young Yin Ren half-floated, half-laid on top of him, with eyes filled with unabashed anticipation… or rather, an eagerness to watch a spectacle.

“Need to be annoying,” Zhong Chengshuo murmured to himself, repeating the words.

Indeed, he was quite obedient in school. Strictly speaking, Zhong Chengshuo rarely interacted with anyone. On normal days, he would either read books or study, immersing himself in the ocean of human knowledge in a literal sense.

Perhaps human offspring couldn’t concentrate, but for the great Primordial Elemental that had been idle like an inanimate object for countless years, that new knowledge held a fatal allure.

He diligently studied, achieving perfect scores and letting them float away. During holidays, he investigated his sister’s disappearance, making Zhong Chengshuo’s middle school life unusually fulfilling. As for classmates, in his memory, they were mostly faceless radishes and cabbages—he never paid deliberate attention to them.

Whether those classmates liked him or disliked him, he never cared.

In theory, beating everyone up one by one or damaging their beloved belongings would quickly earn the disgust of his classmates. However, even if Shian had his back, the school wouldn’t want a violent student like him.

Zhong Chengshuo quietly took out the school rules from the desk drawer, carefully confirming each one.

Yin Ren’s smile gradually froze as he watched, and a faint worry appeared in his gaze. At this point, Lord Ghost King seriously suspected that Zhong Chengshuo’s “moral values” were merely inherited from his police parents. Not to mention anything else, this person might not truly care about whether the targets were minors or adults. After all, the age difference between them had been hanging there for who knew how long, and to him, nine or ninety years old were just stages of “short-lived creatures”.

Yin Ren’s thoughts spun wildly, and he tightened his hand that was gripping Zhong Chengshuo’s neck, afraid that this person might come up with some questionable ideas.

“…We still have to rely on verbal communication,” Zhong Chengshuo concluded after thoroughly studying all the school rules.

“Other methods can easily lead to unnecessary disputes.”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm.” Yin Ren nodded encouragingly.

“But I can’t curse at people. Can you help me check something?”

“…It’s useless. You lack the kind of emotional state required for cursing.” Yin Ren sighed with melancholy, shaking his head.

No need to check; it was definitely futile. With Zhong Chengshuo’s temperament, he would only recite swear words in a conventional manner, but it wouldn’t be a match for a middle schooler’s curses, not even by one percent. Just imagining that scene made Yin Ren feel a bit suffocated.

“Hmm…” Zhong Chengshuo continued to ponder.

Whether it was Yin Ren’s imagination or not, this person had never appeared so troubled, no matter how difficult the previous battles were. Concealed by the illusory enchantment, Zhong Chengshuo furrowed his brow, and his slightly long hair hung down his neck. The distress on his face was magnified tenfold by his somewhat childish features.

Yin Ren swallowed the words he had intended to discuss.

He didn’t have any suitable ideas at the moment, and this version of Zhong Chengshuo was quite rare. Yin Ren wanted to take a closer look.

From this angle, that person seemed like his deskmate. They were like two genuine students, sitting in the classroom, worrying about the future… Yin Ren inexplicably enjoyed this feeling. He calmly changed his position, leaning over to the edge of Zhong Chengshuo’s desk and stretched his body lazily.

As Zhong Chengshuo continued his contemplation, his thoughts transitioned from thinking during class to thinking during the break.

The long break arrived, and the classroom became particularly lively. Yin Ren wiped the sleep marks off his face, while Zhong Chengshuo stood with his book. His gaze was deep and focused on one of the pages, clearly still contemplating a “stimulation plan”.

“Bang!”

The teenager, who had previously squatted down before class, rushed over and kicked Zhong Chengshuo’s desk.

“You idiot, kneel down and apologize to me!”

This person came to save face after feeling embarrassed earlier. It happened to be a good opportunity, and Yin Ren shifted his position and glanced at Zhong Chengshuo, ready to intervene if necessary.

It was just a kid kicking a desk. This kind of impact was much lighter compared to battling with evil creatures. Zhong Chengshuo easily filtered out this minor disturbance, continuing to contemplate with unwavering concentration, his fingers holding the book motionless.

“Are you brain-dead, Zhang San? Are you deaf?” The teenager shouted loudly and kicked the desk several more times.

Finally, Zhong Chengshuo lifted his head. He glanced at the person with a calm gaze, then stood up and tidied the desk.

“This is the school’s property. If you break it, you’ll have to compensate,” Zhong Chengshuo stated matter-of-factly.

He finally put away the physics textbook, carefully took out the biology textbook for the next class, and neatly organized the stationery on the desk. After tidying up, Zhong Chengshuo adjusted his pen and paper and continued to contemplate.

The provocative boy: “……”

The troublemaker hesitated, his face gradually turning red. “Are your parents dead? Didn’t they teach you to listen to others?”

Zhong Chengshuo calmly replied, “Yes, they are both dead. They didn’t teach me to listen to others.”

The immediate priority now was to come up with a plan to provoke the kids and be fully prepared to execute it rigorously. As for the person who came to provoke him, he just needed to coax him away. Zhong Chengshuo meticulously planned in his mind.

His biological parents—Wei Huaxian and Kong Miao—had indeed passed away. Strictly speaking, the person who taught him to “listen to others” was Yin Ren. His response was very friendly, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

When Zhong Chengshuo said, “They are both dead,” the teenager fell silent for more than ten seconds. Amidst the mocking laughter around him, his face grew redder.

“Indeed, you’re a worthless thing without parents. Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson, you meddlesome idiot.”

“I didn’t hit you just now, and I didn’t make you fall,” Zhong Chengshuo earnestly and patiently explained. “I understand that you feel upset about losing face, but this has nothing to do with me. You don’t have sufficient reason to teach me a lesson. It will only make you appear unreasonable.”

“Furthermore, if you care about your image in the class, it’s better to attend to your nose early. If you continue to ignore it, it will quickly swell and turn purple, making you look even more disgraceful.”

Worried that the teenager would continue to pester him, Zhong Chengshuo pragmatically presented facts and reasoned with him.

The surrounding students cheered, enjoying the spectacle without considering it a big deal.

“Disgraceful, Wu Ge, disgraceful.”

“Our Lord Wu is a respectable person.”

“You better make yourself decent—”

The students sitting nearby formed a circle, laughing and jeering.

The teenager became infuriated; his face turning red and his neck swelling. He shouted loudly and grabbed Zhong Chengshuo’s collar. Zhong Chengshuo cooperatively let him grab hold, maintaining a perfect balance, and made sure to press down on his brand-new biology textbook with his hand, afraid it might accidentally fall off.

With the objects on the desk neatly arranged, Zhong Chengshuo turned his eyes to the teenager; his pitch-black pupils filled with tranquility.

Yin Ren, who was floating to the side, was stunned.

Thank goodness Zhong Chengshuo was well-behaved during his middle school years. Otherwise, with his innate eloquence, his combat abilities would have been exposed too early.

“Fuck your mother!” the teenager roared in anger, throwing a punch towards Zhong Chengshuo’s face. As expected, Zhong Chengshuo easily dodged it while retaining his calm gaze.

The cheering of the surrounding students grew even louder.

Yin Ren barely held back his laughter, trying hard to experience it.

Indeed, that distant sense of peeping appeared again. At this moment, the teenager’s state seemed more like shame than anger. Yet, that gaze emerged as usual, ethereal and elusive, as if veiled by a layer of mist.

It seemed that triggering the gaze required more than just anger; further experimentation was needed.

Just a few steps away, the tall and robust teenager continued to harass Zhong Chengshuo. No matter how he attacked, Zhong Chengshuo evaded effortlessly, like a slippery eel. Meanwhile, this person stubbornly refused to retaliate, causing the humiliation to reach a new level.

In the end, Zhong Chengshuo gently pried open the fingers gripping his own collar and pushed that hand back to the teenager’s chest.

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to retaliate against you. Let’s stop here. Remember to take a look at your nose.”

“Just you fucking wait! You wait for me!” The teenager pointed at Zhong Chengshuo’s nose and cursed, spitting in anger. With a mournful face, he touched his nose and quickly walked out of the classroom.

In the front row, Luo Chunlei turned her head and watched the minor conflict expressionlessly. Seeing Zhong Chengshuo sitting back in his seat unscathed, she turned her face and casually chatted and laughed with other girls as if nothing had happened.

“Awesome, Zhang Ge! Where did you learn that? Can you teach us?” “Master, please accept us as your disciples!” Several male students approached, laughing.

Zhong Chengshuo, with his mind filled with plans on how to be annoying, continued on his sincere path of straightforwardness—

“If you truly want to learn these skills, you can join a class to practice. But, even if you train to the limit, adults can easily overpower you with their body weight. It won’t be of much use.”

The group of students looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

“If you don’t want to teach, then don’t teach. Why pretend?” One of them muttered, and the crowd dispersed like birds and beasts.

Although Zhong Chengshuo didn’t understand why this group of people was unhappy, at least it was quiet now. He breathed a sigh of relief, sat back in his chair, and squeezed the pen, deep in thought.

Yin Ren sneakily stretched out his hands and covered Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes. “Zhong Ge, do you want me to teach you some ‘annoying’ tricks?”

“But I don’t find you annoying at all. Do you really have any tricks?” Zhong Chengshuo let Yin Ren cover his eyes and changed his communication form. This person’s communication level suddenly improved.

“Yes, but they only apply to you.” The thousand-year-old Ghost King withdrew his hands and rubbed his face.

Zhong Chengshuo instantly grabbed a pen and paper, assuming a posture of attentively listening.

“Your parents must have taught you many principles, right? Just remember those words. Don’t think too much and treat your classmates positively.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “……”

The young Zhong Chengshuo turned his round eyes to Yin Ren, with a hint of confusion in his eyes. “When I treat others positively, it’s considered annoying?”

“How could I find you annoying? I don’t think the members of Unit 9 would think that way either.”

Yin Ren patted his chest.

“But as for those eleven- or twelve-year-old kids… well, that’s hard to say.”

Zhong Chengshuo remained silent and his face tense. The pen in his fingers spun around, almost creating afterimages of a flower blooming.

“Okay, I understand.” When he spoke again, Zhong Chengshuo’s tone was full of trust. “If it’s this kind of plan, there’s something I want to ask you for help with.”

“Hmm?

“I need a list of misbehavior from my classmates.”

……

“That busty girl from Class 4 always goes out to have affairs with older men. Everyone in her class knows about it. I’ve seen her get into a man’s car with my own eyes.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve heard about it too. People from Class 4 say she’s quite something. You know what I mean…”

“I should go and ask. With my looks, maybe I can handle her—”

During break time, a group of boys huddled together, secretly pulling out an adult magazine, laughing and gossiping. However, before they could turn a page, another face appeared in the cramped space.

“Before confirming the facts, it’s best not to spread such insulting remarks. It can cause distress to the people involved.”

Zhong Chengshuo calmly expressed, “For middle school students who commute, there’s a higher possibility that their father or other relatives pick them up. Engaging in relationships with females under the age of fourteen is a crime, not a casual joke.”

“Fuck! What’s your problem?!” Several students turned pale, hastily stuffing away the adult magazine.

Zhong Chengshuo’s gaze remained calm, and his tone was still sincere. “During puberty, physical development and an interest in the opposite sex are normal phenomena. It’s not shameful. You all can consider more formal sex education programs.”

Strictly speaking, Zhong Chengshuo’s tone didn’t carry a condescending or stern criticism. It was simply a matter-of-fact statement, accompanied by his still immature face, which indeed sent shivers down people’s spines.

“You’re sick!!!” He was met with a string of screams.

Zhong Chengshuo calmly walked away, took out his notebook, and crossed out a line. “The experiment continues.”

Yin Ren kissed the top of his lover’s head. “Well done, onto the next one.”

……

“You’re going too far!”

A sharp-looking girl slapped Zhong Chengshuo’s desk; her eyes fixed on the pen in his hand.

“This is a limited-edition merchandise. Do you know how precious it is? You’re clearly not a fan of xxx, I can tell at a glance! And you’re not using it properly. You’re too rough. You didn’t even buy a pen case or pen stickers, and the refill you’re using is cheap! …If you use it like this again, I’ll break it and throw it away!”

Zhong Chengshuo calmly twirled the neutral pen with a character from a certain work printed on it.

“We’re not familiar, and the rules you’ve set are your own. I haven’t looked into them, nor am I interested.”

Zhong Chengshuo objectively narrated.

“I bought it with my own money. It’s my personal property. As long as I use it for legitimate purposes, how I use it is my freedom. Classmate, it’s just a pen.”

“…I can’t reason with you! You don’t understand anything!” The girl’s face turned red with anger. “Do you even still need it?”

“I do, and I’ll continue to carry it.”

As the girl angrily ran off, Zhong Chengshuo used that pen to cross out another name in his notebook.

“The kids these days are impressive. It’s definitely more complicated than when I was their age.” Yin Ren propped his arms on Zhong Chengshuo’s head, muttering to himself. “Back then, they would be so happy with just a meal I gave them…”

“A sense of peeping?” Zhong Chengshuo touched the long hair hanging down his cheek.

“Yes.” As a diligent behind-the-scenes spirit, Yin Ren hugged Zhong Chengshuo’s neck tightly.

……

“These shoes were bought for me by my cousin. He dropped out after middle school and is doing business now, earning millions every year!”

“I agree. Everyone says it’s hard for university graduates to find jobs. What’s the point of studying? It’s better to start making money early.”

“Exactly, exactly…”

“The probability of attaining a comfortable life after graduating from middle school is 5%, while the probability increases to 50% after obtaining a good diploma. Even if it’s just such an improvement, I personally think it’s valuable.”

Zhong Chengshuo abruptly stopped at the table and calmly joined the discussion.

……

During evening self-study, a certain “top student” raised his hand and threw notes between desks. Zhong Chengshuo swiftly intercepted and flicked all the paper balls to various corners.

“Cheating is not acceptable.” He mouthed the words, shaking his head seriously.

……

A day passed, and Zhong Chengshuo had crossed out over twenty names in his notebook. More than half of the class had been annoyed by him, and even Lord Ghost King began to respect his terrifying efficiency.

“Not everyone triggers the sense of peeping… For now, I can only say that the more intense the reaction from those people you provoke, the more apparent the sense of peeping becomes.” Yin Ren played with his hair ends. “Moreover, there hasn’t been a significant increase in indoor corruption sources. It doesn’t seem like there’s any spell replicating autonomously.”

“We can take another look tomorrow. The more samples we have, the more accurate the results will be.”

Zhong Chengshuo confidently packed his school bag in an organized manner. He seemed very satisfied with today’s “stimulation plan”.

“Zhang San.”

Yin Ren was about to say something when a crisp female voice came from the front row.

Luo Chunlei had her school bag on her back, smiling sweetly with a dimple at the corner of her mouth. She was standing next to Zhang Hejun’s desk, naturally resting her hand on the table, looking innocent and cute.

“Do you have some time? There are a few things I want to talk to you about.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 196: Overcast and Rainy

The sky was gloomy, and the classroom lights were on, but they couldn’t dispel the surrounding sense of darkness. The damp air carried a hint of an earthy smell as the monitor cleaned the blackboard, and chalk dust fell softly to the ground.

During the break, students gathered in small groups, eagerly chatting and secretly fiddling with their phones. Some even took out handheld game consoles in full view of everyone, and laughter and screams occasionally erupted from the young boys and girls. Among them, a few students glanced at Zhong Chengshuo for a while, then deliberately covered their mouths and spoke softly, obviously discussing the new classmate.

Whether they were discussing his funny name or his peculiar statement of “finding the culprit”, it was hard to say.

Zhang Hejun’s desk remained unchanged, filled with exercise books and textbooks. Stationery was casually scattered, as if she had temporarily left the classroom and would soon return.

She had bought a small magnetic doll—a rabbit with magnets on its arms—which she hugged against the metal desk leg. Its round plastic eyes were directed towards Zhong Chengshuo’s direction.

Zhong Chengshuo sat at the back of the classroom, withdrawing his gaze from Zhang Hejun’s seat.

His textbooks and stationery were provided by Shian, quite different from what he used before. However, this feeling of being detached from the situation was exactly the same as when he attended school in the past.

Zhong Chengshuo remembered everything from the very beginning.

The wish made by that ripple, the thousand-year slumber and awakening, the mysterious encounter with the baby, and his first meeting with his foster parents.

Zhong Chengshuo still didn’t know what he really was, but he was certain that he wasn’t human. Back then, when he watched his classmates running and jumping, they seemed like a school of fish crowded together in a fish tank.

Separated by a transparent, icy barrier.

Loneliness wasn’t the right word, and neither was envy. Regarding the fact that he was alone, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t feel anything special. It was similar to those distant, faint ripples around him from a thousand years ago. He simply observed them quietly.

No need for any emotions, like a plant growing in a corner.

Zhong Chengshuo pulled himself out of his memories. He had just opened the long-unopened textbook when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Young Yin Ren rested his chin on Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder, looking curiously at the textbook.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one could see him, Lord Ghost King casually leaned on Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder and said, “Wow, I can’t understand any of this.”

Given that this large Primordial Elemental still had a physical form, Zhong Chengshuo could feel Yin Ren’s breath and body temperature. Yin Ren frowned as he read the middle school physics textbook, emitting a long “hmm” from his throat. His long hair hung down along Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder, sliding back and forth on the loose fabric.

…He seemed to be reading it quite seriously.

Yin Ren’s warm breath and presence were comforting, causing Zhong Chengshuo to unintentionally pause his flipping of the pages. The instinctive rejection and the genuine closeness stemmed from the strong sense of the person beside him, making it impossible to ignore.

The familiar hustle and bustle of traversing time still surrounded them, and the music during the break hadn’t changed for over a decade. He suddenly couldn’t recall that detached “plant-like” mentality from his memories.

Zhong Chengshuo gently turned his head, resting his forehead against Yin Ren’s cheek. Yin Ren adjusted his posture accordingly, continuing to study the profound scientific principles on that page.

Pitter-patter. Raindrops started hitting the glass window. Zhong Chengshuo listened to the rhythm of his lover’s heartbeat and his eyes slightly narrowed.

Meaningless memories of his student life suddenly felt much warmer.

Truly…

Before his thought of “good” could fully process in his mind, there was a loud bang on Zhong Chengshuo’s desk. Two boys who had been discussing comics nearby suddenly started fighting, and the one being pushed almost knocked over Zhong Chengshuo’s desk.

The two of them cursed with foul language that didn’t belong to their age, grabbing and pushing each other’s bulky school uniforms, trying to knock each other to the ground. Zhong Chengshuo listened with both ears as the two boys argued over the power level of two characters in the comic.

However, Zhong Chengshuo unmistakably sensed a murderous aura.

The two boys, aged around eleven or twelve, emanated intense hostility towards each other. Surrounding students gathered around, with a few even cheering them on. One of the boys had a scratched face with a bloody mark, and his face was turning red. He reached out his hand, about to grab the compass from Zhong Chengshuo’s desk.

Zhong Chengshuo caught his wrist and said, “Don’t be impulsive.”

“What the fuck does it have to do with you, you stupid idiot?” The boy gnashed his teeth.

“What kind of dog matches its owner’s power. Weak owners have weak dogs!” The other, taller boy, seeing that his opponent was held back by the “weak and thin” Zhong Chengshuo, immediately laughed and made a mocking face.

Zhong Chengshuo saw the person he was holding onto bulge with swollen veins; his face and neck turning red. The person even abandoned the compass and kicked towards the other boy. The kick swept across the other boy’s nose, and a bright red nosebleed instantly gushed out, dripping onto the ground.

The red light of the surveillance camera in the back of the classroom blinked, and the dark lens scanned the class. But after a few minutes, no one intervened.

Zhong Chengshuo helplessly surveyed the surroundings—either the students were indifferent and stayed out of it, or they crowded around to watch the commotion, without anyone going to find a teacher to mediate.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” An instigator shouted with excitement, urging others to come and watch, saying, “Let’s see who backs down. Who’s a wimp!”

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” Students who had hidden their phones crowded closer, skillfully taking photos and videos.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” A few people even intentionally placed sharp objects like utility knives and compasses nearby, and then quickly stepped back.

The crowd formed a circle, and within the circle were the two individuals tangled in a fight, as well as Zhong Chengshuo standing still.

Zhong Chengshuo’s gaze scanned the classroom and stopped on Luo Chunlei. The young girl was surrounded by a few friends, staring intently in their direction. The drops of nosebleed on the ground were being trampled by the two fighting boys, staining the floor with blood.

Zhong Chengshuo blinked and raised his hand, intending to stop the two children from misbehaving. However, as he raised his hand, someone grabbed his sleeve. Zhong Chengshuo’s fist drew a perfect arc in the air and landed squarely on one of the individuals’ face.

The crowd immediately erupted in boos.

The boy who was punched happened to be the one who started the commotion. His face was still covered in the fresh nosebleed. He was tall and stout, and his face turned purple with anger. He was about to get up and teach this transfer student a lesson but slipped on the ground, landing in a standard squatting position.

This time, his face turned completely black, emanating an aura of anger and madness that didn’t belong to his age. For a moment, the boy’s presence was almost comparable to that of an evil being.

Behind him, the invisible mastermind clapped his hands; his red eyes were filled with unclear emotions.

“Wu Ge embarrassed himself. Wu Ge embarrassed himself!” The boys who were recording videos cheered.

“Isn’t it pathetic to fight two against one? Bring it on!” Wu Ge wiped his nosebleed and roared loudly.

“Why do you care about it? Who’s counting this win?” The bloodied-faced boy didn’t back down either. He raised his chin, splattering saliva, narrowly avoiding Zhong Chengshuo’s face.

Just at that moment, the familiar sound of the class bell rang, and the crowd rushed back to their seats.

A middle-aged male teacher stepped into the classroom, and his gaze swept over the two bruised and swollen individuals before settling on Zhong Chengshuo, whose desk and chair were overturned. Then, as if nothing had happened, the teacher put down his books and said, “Let’s start the class. Hello, everyone!”

“Hello, Tea-cher!” The students responded cheerfully.

In the back row of the classroom, Zhong Chengshuo tidied up his desk alone. The bloodstains remained on the floor, shining brightly with their vibrant color.

“What were you thinking just now?” After finally putting everything back in place, Zhong Chengshuo covered half of his face with a textbook and spoke in a muffled voice.

Even if he couldn’t sense the aura of magic, he knew that the boy’s fall just now was undoubtedly caused by Yin Ren’s mischief.

Yin Ren didn’t answer immediately. His gaze slowly swept over every student in the classroom, and his expression gradually became solemn.

……

Their close-range investigation this time was correct; Yin Ren was certain of that now.

When the boy wanted to grab the compass, Yin Ren suddenly felt a chill at the back of his neck, followed by a prickling sensation. Yin Ren was familiar with this feeling—

It was the unique sensation of being spied on.

To be precise, it was the unique sensation of being watched by a large Elemental. However, compared to Mr. Qiu, this sense of being watched was fainter and more distant.

The person spying on them was not targeting himself but the student who tried to harm others with the compass. To confirm his speculation, Yin Ren deliberately provoked the troublemaker by having Zhong Chengshuo throw a punch, exposing the troublemaker’s embarrassment on the spot.

Sure enough, under the other person’s madness, that indescribable feeling of being spied on resurfaced.

Was there another large Elemental hidden here? Could it be the rumored “Mr. Le”? But compared to Mr. Qiu’s gaze, there was something off about this feeling… There weren’t enough clues.

“There are twenty-four contaminants in this classroom,” Yin Ren leaned over to whisper in Zhong Chengshuo’s ear. “Even though Liang Shan and the others checked yesterday, there are even more now. Zhong Ge, I need your cooperation for the next step.”

“Okay,” Zhong Chengshuo replied softly.

“But given your situation, it might be a bit difficult…” Yin Ren poked his cheek.

Zhong Chengshuo’s chest felt slightly suffocated, and a subtle sense of grievance emerged on its own. “Just say it straight. I can cooperate with anything.”

Why, aren’t they the best accomplices?

“…Well then, Zhong Ge, I need you to go crazy and provoke as many kids as possible in this class.”

Yin Ren leaned in, poking his head and peeking around.

“But your parents always told me that you were unbelievably well-behaved in school. Are you really okay with this?” Yin Ren asked.

Zhong Chengshuo: “…”

Alright, it seemed there was still some distance to go to become the “best accomplices”.

Dr. Zhong could write research papers, and King Yama could slay evil creatures. He could even grow another head. But when it came to causing trouble as a student, he really lacked experience.

“I’ll do my best,” Zhong Chengshuo said, holding his textbook and mustering a reluctant tone.

……

Drizzling rain fell, drumming onto the stone bricks.

“Are they going to be okay?” Huang Jin sat on a stone bench in the school with a vacant gaze. Large maple leaves fell from the trees and lazily landed on his face.

Ge Tingting: “Pfft!” She purposely made a laughing sound with the AI.

“They should be fine. After all, it’s Yin Ge.” She bought a bag full of snacks from the school store and was currently munching on spicy sticks at the other end of the bench.

“Even the Great Celestial Master has never gone through compulsory education.” Huang Jin despondently removed the leaf from his face. “Well, it’s not like they’re in any life-threatening danger… Even if we were to wipe their ass, it’s not our turn. Hey, if you want to stay here for a bit, I’ll go out first—”

“Skipping work is wrong,” Ge Tingting sternly remarked.

Huang Jin silently placed the leaf back on his face. “It’s raining, and we’re just wasting time sitting here. Liang Shan and Lu Xiaohe at least have the office to stay in. We’re just wandering outside with nothing to do.

“It’s wrong to be lazy.”

“…Hey, did Shian secretly give you a raise?”

“No!” Ge Tingting snorted, kicked away a leaf that flew towards her, and took out the case files to read.

Lu Chunlei’s information appeared on the tablet, looking somewhat dim in the rainy weather.

“You’re still looking? Don’t you know how many times you’ve looked already?” Huang Jin finally gave up using the leaf to cover his face to avoid reality. “Her file isn’t anything special, right?”

“Hmm.”

Ge Tingting tapped the screen and increased the brightness. She enlarged the photo of Luo Chunlei, whose face looked upright, lovely, and had a smile that was quite endearing.

Luo Chunlei came from a wealthy family. Her mother was a high-ranking executive who was shrewd and capable. Her father used to be involved in the high-interest loan business and earned quite a sum of illicit money in his early years. Since the regulations became stricter, her father changed his occupation a few years ago, resulting in a sharp decrease in income. However, overall, the assets of her family were sufficient to ensure a comfortable life for her for two lifetimes.

Of course, every family had its own difficulties. Since Luo Chunlei’s father changed his occupation, his income was lower than his wife’s, and he started drinking heavily at home, often verbally abusing his wife and daughter. Physical abuse only became a recent occurrence—

Just a week ago, when he was heavily drunk, he directly smashed a liquor bottle on his wife and child’s heads. The neighbors were frightened and immediately reported it, but the matter was ultimately dropped.

“It’s just that their family relationship isn’t good. There’s no reason for that girl to go crazy like that.” Huang Jin played with a dry leaf in his hand. “To put it bluntly, if I could have their family conditions, I’d be overjoyed.”

“You shouldn’t compare like that.”

Ge Tingting, who was also an orphan, scrolled through the information.

“But you’re right. That’s not a reason for her to harm her classmates. There’s a cause and effect for every grievance. If I were her, I would deal with my father first—”

Huang Jin: “…”

Huang Jin: “…You don’t need to go into that kind of hypothetical situation.”

“—When there’s a problem, you have to solve it. If you can’t solve the problem, then transfer the malice onto others just to feel better yourself,” Ge Tingting stubbornly concluded. “Miss Ding’s way of handling things is much better.”

Huang Jin originally moved his seat a bit, seemingly trying to distance himself from his colleague. But upon hearing the latter half of her sentence, he silently moved back.

There were a few minutes left before class started, and most of the students had returned to the school building. The playground and gardens were empty, and the drizzling rain fell lightly. Maple leaves swayed with the autumn breeze, and the air seemed different from the outside world.

Ge Tingting closed her tablet, looked longingly at the children running towards the classroom in the rain, and then stuffed another spicy strip into her mouth.

However, before she could even swallow the food, she choked on the chili oil and felt dizzy.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

From the direction of the middle school building, there came distant and grating sounds of impact. The noise was accompanied by countless shouts and murmurs, as well as a creepy and sticky sound that reminded her of a group of corpses pushing open the doors of a tomb.

It wasn’t a sound of this world.

…It couldn’t even be called a “sound”. What she heard was the insane ravings of corpses, with no musical quality to it.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sounds of impact reverberated deep in her mind, as if the whole world was trembling and her brain was being pounded in a mortar. Ge Tingting instinctively covered her ears, letting out a groan of pain.

The package of spicy sticks fell on the ground, and the bright red snacks were covered in dusty soil.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong with you?” Huang Jin instantly dropped his casual attitude and half squatted in front of Ge Tingting. “Xiao Ge, Xiao Ge! Can you still speak?”

Ge Tingting’s face turned red, and she remained silent.

“I’ll contact Liang Shan right away.” Huang Jin quickly took out his phone.

“I’m fine.” Ge Tingting stared intently in the direction where the sound came from, gritting her teeth as she typed. “It should be over now. I heard some uncomfortable strange sounds… Yin Ren was right. Something is off here.”

Huang Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He touched Ge Tingting’s sweaty forehead, and his brows were still furrowed. “Are you sure I don’t need to find someone?”

“I’m really fine.” Ge Tingting wiped her face. “I…”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

For some reason, after a few minutes of silence, the sound suddenly pierced her mind again. Ge Tingting couldn’t hold back and vomited all over the floor.

“Cough… cough… cough…”

She wiped away the vomit from the corner of her mouth in agony, trying to suppress the urge to vomit deep in her throat. Fortunately, another wave of sound followed, and the previous noise disappeared, replaced by the melodious sound of the school bell.

Huang Jin hurriedly rummaged through his bag for wet wipes and then hastily composed a text message. Before he could send the message, a figure stopped in front of the two of them.

A bony hand reached out to them, holding out a thermos cup.

“Have some warm water to soothe your stomach, little girl,” the man said with a smile.

Ge Tingting struggled to lift her head.

Facing her was a thin man dressed as a school worker. His clothes were slightly wet from the rain, and he didn’t carry an umbrella. He had a bamboo-handled broom in his arms. His hair was gray, and he had two large eye bags hanging down, with the sound of wheezing phlegm in his voice, typical of someone who was sick.

Judging from his physique, he was probably in his forties, but his face appeared much older than Fu Xingchuan, who was the same age.

“Don’t be afraid that it’s dirty. I brought some sugar water, and I haven’t drunk it yet.” Seeing that neither of them accepted, the man smiled and added. He unscrewed the lid, and the brown sugar water inside was indeed full.

Huang Jin skeptically took the thermos cup—this man seemed to have no ill intentions. He casually used his personal spirit weapon to test it, and there was nothing inappropriate added to the sugar water.

After contemplating the man’s surface thoughts for a while, he found only some memories of the school students’ actions and a little concern—it seemed like he genuinely cared about Ge Tingting.

“Thank you, uncle.” Since everyone else had done their part, he couldn’t refuse either.

Ge Tingting drank the bottle of warm red sugar water, and her breathing gradually steadied. “I’m sorry for throwing up here. I’ll clean it up myself later.”

“Hey, it’s high-tech.” The school worker glanced at the AI device that made the sound and smiled with some surprise. He sat down on a nearby stone bench. “It’s not a problem. I just finished sweeping that area. Once the rain stops, I’ll clean up here.”

The cool autumn rain dripped steadily on the rain cover, and the water droplets slowly fell along the edges. The three of them weren’t far apart, but only the sound of rain filled the air.

“…Miss, I haven’t seen you before. Are you a middle school student?” The school worker naturally spoke up.

“No, I just brought my sister to take a look.” Huang Jin quickly picked up the conversation. “She wants to transfer schools, and we’re looking for a school she likes. Uncle, if you noticed, she has special circumstances.”

Ge Tingting nodded in agreement.

“No need to look further. This school is quite good.” The school worker chuckled. “I’ve been working here for seven or eight years, and I can guarantee I’m telling the truth.”

The school worker’s surface thoughts quickly recalled memories related to this school, and he didn’t seem like he was lying.

However, halfway through the recollection, the man started coughing heavily, pounding his chest.

The not-so-roomy school uniform he wore seemed loose on him, revealing protruding bone joints, and the cheap pants were creased. Huang Jin’s gaze swept over the school worker’s retro cloth shoes, then returned to the man’s haggard face.

“We’re also quite satisfied with this school, and we just want to experience the atmosphere for a few more days.” Huang Jin laughed it off.

Whether intentionally or not, Ge Tingting quickly changed the subject. “Is your health okay? You seem to be coughing quite severely. My grandmother used to cough like that… She had lingering effects from the previous famine. Everyone says that with proper care, she’ll definitely get better.”

The school worker’s expression stiffened for a moment. He grasped the broom like a chicken claw while his gaze shifted to the withering leaves swaying in the wind and rain.

“Don’t judge me based on my appearance. When I was young, I was healthy. I could eat as much as I wanted, and I could finish whatever was served.”

He chuckled bitterly, and a touch of sadness appeared on his face.

“Everyone is living well. Living a long life, eating well. Back then, I didn’t look like this… cough, cough.”

“And then?” Ge Tingting timely interjected.

“And then, there was the famine. These health problems of mine were caused by hunger. You could say they are the remnants of that. Haa, there wasn’t enough food, and I was particularly unlucky… I could only eat less and less…”

The school worker turned his clouded eyes away, and his tone became almost gentle.

Ge Tingting looked at him with a bewildered expression. There hadn’t been any reports of famine in the country recently.

“Of course, it’s my own constitution. I have a colleague who not only is younger and healthier than me, but recently, they still have as much food as they want.”

Even Huang Jin furrowed his brow this time. He couldn’t understand what the school worker was talking about at all. His narrative and specific events didn’t seem to align.

“Uncle, I have some money here. Can you bring it to your colleague and have your colleague share some food with you?” Ge Tingting didn’t think too much about it and took out her phone. “Consider it a thank you gift for the sugar water.”

“No need, little miss.”

The school worker shook his head with a smile.

“That colleague of mine passed away not long ago—life is just so unpredictable. I thought he would definitely be the one among us to live the longest.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay.” The school worker waved his hand. “There’s a saying, ‘Ignorance is bliss’.”

…As he uttered the last sentence, his tone was slightly strange. The school worker’s demeanor remained gentle, but Ge Tingting’s neck hairs remained on end. Now it seemed that it was more than just the cold rain.

Ge Tingting forced herself to adjust her breathing. She picked up the cup and walked quickly in front of the school worker.

“Uncle, here’s your cup. The rain is too heavy, so my brother and I will go back first.”

The school worker silently looked at her for a while, and his murky eyes revealed no emotion.

“Oh, come again.”

After a moment, he responded slowly.

“This is the best school.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 195: Countdown

“Don’t worry, we have been keeping an eye on Luo Chunlei’s family. Nothing major will happen. But to be honest, our ability to handle these incidents is limited. At most, we can rescue people faster. You also know that everywhere in Haigu has been chaotic recently.”

Regarding Unit 9’s strange experience, Liang Shan commented nonchalantly.

At this moment, they were walking on the campus of Haigu Secondary School. It was time for school to be dismissed, and students were frolicking on the playground, creating a peaceful scene.

Yin Ren looked up. The evening sky was clear and transparent, with a few feather-like clouds drifting by. The high school students were about to attend evening self-study, and the windows of the school building were lit with the cold light of fluorescent lamps. Various mobile food stalls were set up outside the school, emanating the enticing aroma of steaming, frying, grilling, and roasting snacks.

The air was filled with the flavors of the human world. However, for some reason, Yin Ren felt more uncomfortable here than in the enclosed memory campus.

“If it weren’t for Yin Ren today, their whole family would have been burned alive.” Ge Tingting’s face stiffened, clearly still shaken. “Are they really okay? We saw that man start the fire; we can testify to it.”

“It’s not the first time something like this has happened, and it’s useless.” Liang Shan sighed. “Their family situation has always been problematic. That man even brought gasoline into their home before. The neighbors reported it, but their whole family adamantly denied it… And when Yin Ren swapped the liquid in the lighter, they said it was just a ‘joke’, so we couldn’t do anything about it.”

Ge Tingting stood frozen on the spot. “The whole family denied it? But if this continues, people will die!”

“These kinds of things have been happening all the time.” Liang Shan scratched his head. “The police have their own responsibilities. If you can help us find the source of the corruption sooner, the entire city’s police force will be grateful to you. But for now, let’s focus on solving the issues in the school.”

Ge Tingting looked again at the brightly lit school building and her expression became complicated.

A few hours passed.

Yin Ren collapsed on the sofa in the school conference room, his eyes devoid of any luster.

This place had been converted into a temporary base for the Shian team. Except for Lu Xiaohe, who was diligently debugging computer equipment, everyone else exuded an air of despair.

“There are too many, too many corruption sources. We can’t catch them all,” Yin Ren muttered on the sofa. “And they are all youth versions… The corruption level of those little gadgets is even weaker than what circulates outside.”

This level of corruption was the most troublesome. It wouldn’t trigger the kind of crazy public incidents of people attacking and acid-throwing each other on the streets, but it ensured that this school would be constantly in chaos, with bloodshed every day. Moreover, both the junior and senior departments operated on a day-school system, so these students would bring the corruption source back home and share the same contamination with their families.

Even though Liang Shan’s team confiscated half of the sources, when Yin Ren was wandering around the school building, he discovered hundreds of faint traces once again. He almost suspected that there was a gap in the school, leading to a cross-border black market for counterfeit goods. Although the corruption sources with weak traces were easier to produce, this was still too exaggerated.

What was even more exaggerated was that Yin Ren attempted to divine the origins of these pollutants. The divination results led in all directions, enough for them to investigate for a year without repeating.

The people who knew the results remained silent.

Who could have imagined that after solving extraordinary cases, battling fierce ghosts, and even traveling through corpses, they would still feel at a loss when faced with countless trivial cases.

“I suggest we deal with it casually for a few days and continue to look for Lu Xiaohe’s mother.”

Huang Jin lay on the sofa on the other side, tilting his head back. His tone carried a hint of weariness.

The investigation team was there for the sake of appearances, while their Unit 9 was the real deal. They had come here to reduce external suspicion, waiting for Shian to crack the wooden talisman and rescue people from the Other Side.

Did they really have to rely on the legendary Great Celestial Master to resolve teenage conflicts? If they invested too much energy here, the gains would clearly not outweigh the losses.

“It seems King Yama enjoys watching his little devils cause trouble. Even if we find out the truth about that little girl, the case will remain unsolvable, and the police won’t be able to do anything to her… The situation in this school is so complicated that it’s really not worth it.”

After struggling for a while, Huang Jin finally managed to express his idea that “this mission is better suited for slacking off”.

Liang Shan brought up two bags of boxed meals and arrived just in time to catch the end of the conversation, showing a helpless expression of “I knew it all along”.

Zhong Chengshuo sat properly next to Yin Ren, secretly hooking his finger around Yin Ren’s while his eyes were fixed on the empty space. After a few seconds, he leaned in close to Yin Ren’s ear and whispered a couple of sentences.

Yin Ren, who had been limp earlier, suddenly sat up straight with a pensive face.

“Why are you whispering?” Liang Shan distributed the boxed meals while sitting in a row. “It’s work time, you two. Be mindful of your influence.”

“No, I just suddenly realized a loophole.”

Yin Ren picked up a grain of rice with the tip of his chopsticks.

“According to Huang Jin, Luo Chunlei is obsessed with animated characters to an extreme and paranoid degree. She came into contact with the source of corruption, so why didn’t she disappear?”

“Wasn’t it said that the corruption sources here are relatively weak? Perhaps the intensity is not enough.” Huang Jin snapped open a pair of disposable chopsticks.

“It could also be that the emotional types are different.”

Lu Xiaohe’s fingertips crackled incessantly.

“At this age, kids might say ‘love’ with their mouths, but most of the time, it’s just self-entertainment. Whether it’s their favorite sports team, celebrity, or character, it’s more like a form of solace or pastime. Of course, if the attachment is deep, there might be genuine love, but they are too young now, and it’s difficult for them to change their nature through their own willpower.”

“Although it seems similar… Personally, I think they are chasing happiness rather than chasing love.”

“Yeah, I don’t quite understand, but it sounds reasonable.” Yin Ren quickly finished his boxed meal and leaned in next to Lu Xiaohe.

“Any developments on Luo Chunlei’s side?”

“Are you really fixated on that kid?” Huang Jin said with anguish.

“She has the most severe case, being the most heavily corrupted person in this school.” Ge Tingting pondered. “If we want to trace the source of corruption, I would start with her too.”

“…” Huang Jin glanced at Ge Tingting with a nearly despairing look. “Fine, we’ll work overtime tonight then.”

“Here it is!” Huang Jin elongated “overtime”, but before he could finish, Lu Xiaohe raised her voice.

At 7:45 in the evening, after finishing dinner, Luo Chunlei opened the spare phone hidden in her closet.

“The phone number is registered under an adult’s ID, so judging from the owner’s identity, it’s a black market SIM card.” Lu Xiaohe quickly displayed the contents on the phone screen.

Luo Chunlei exhibited an unusual level of caution for her age. All the social and communication apps on her phone were registered under this black number. After unlocking the phone, she headed straight to the topic—the anonymous group in the social app.

[Latest update on burying the bitch. She’s still in the hospital, and the police can’t catch me, hehe. If she’s not dead, I will definitely kill her next time.]

She quickly typed a long paragraph.

Then, the group was flooded with messages of “Righteous Girls Eliminating Evil”.

[But I heard it was Pure who did it all, and those people who were with Pure in the past all left the group.] Another anonymous message appeared.

[Pure is not even in this group; it definitely isn’t Pure. It’s just that group of useless people causing trouble when things get big 😘.] Everyone used randomly assigned names and no one used their real names.

[I hope something happens to that person. I already bought champagne [champagne photo].] Below this message was a photoshopped image of Zhang Hejun, clearly taken secretly.

[That bitch with a loose mouth will get what’s coming to her. Mindless slander, be careful, righteous girls will dig up her whole family www*]

*Internet slang for LOL.

[Righteous girls, increase the intensity ☆ let’s have a feast next time.]

[Wouldn’t it be better if it’s Pure? Who can blame a twelve-year-old? ~ It’s just that bitch doesn’t have an account; otherwise, I would be the first to curse her until she buries herself ~~~~]

……

The group was flooded with messages at an extremely fast pace, with everyone expressing regret that Zhang Hejun didn’t die. Although a few people silently left the group, no one openly spoke in her defense.

Lu Xiaohe’s expression became increasingly grim as she accessed the information in the anonymous group.

“Over 70% are kids below fifteen years old, with about eight or nine adults over twenty.” She furrowed her brows. “Luo Chunlei’s main account is not in this group. She only has a secondary account here to anonymously send messages, and she even shared Zhang Hejun’s photo.”

“What about before?” Liang Shan also approached.

“Before, she often took screenshots and posted insulting messages in the group, or she would boast about her main account using someone else’s identity. However, her previous actions were limited to the online realm. This is the first time it has extended into reality.” Lu Xiaohe swiftly organized the statements belonging to Luo Chunlei. “She is a minor celebrity in this group. This little girl… haa.”

After reviewing the testimonies of other participants, it became clear that Zhang Hejun had simply misspoke in an incomprehensible manner, using the slang term “black name” within their small circle.

At this moment, with all members of Unit 9 watching, the anonymous area was still flooded with messages.

Luo Chunlei: [Hope you idiots can follow the rules and use your brains. Don’t give her another chance to be a righteous woman.]

A few seconds later, she added another line—

[Let’s see if our Miss Cockroach dares to come back to school. If she doesn’t transfer, we’ll make her reincarnate 😘.]

“Alright, you can leave it to me. I’ll go back and talk to Officer Sun about the situation, and the police will take it from there. As for the source of the corruption, I will apply for an opportunity to interrogate.”

Liang Shan’s face turned serious as he took several deep breaths. No matter how you looked at it, that “well-behaved” little girl was clearly enjoying herself.

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.” Yin Ren observed the rapidly scrolling text lines and nodded thoughtfully.

“This girl is quite scheming. She might not tell the truth to adults. If possible, I’d prefer to observe her up close.”

With that, Yin Ren removed Yellow Millet in its pendant form from his phone, which was accompanied by the excited cry of “puff”. Yellow Millet then appeared in Zhong Chengshuo’s palm.

In the next moment, Yellow Millet’s illusion activated. The originally tall and sturdy Zhong Chengshuo was covered by the illusion, and a youth with pitch-black pupils and wearing the Haigu Secondary School uniform appeared in his place.

Wearing the loose school uniform, Zhong Chengshuo silently stood there, looking exceptionally slim. His appearance was identical to his archived profile, with soft black hair that reached slightly beyond his ears and a face with gentle features, portraying an obedient “good student”.

The kind that was particularly easy to bully.

Meanwhile, Yin Ren himself emitted a faint black aura, which dissipated to reveal his own youthful appearance. The former Great Celestial Master floated in the air, and his arms wrapped around Zhong Chengshuo’s neck. With his bent crimson eyes and long, flowing black hair, he had slightly shortened in stature.

This hair length was somewhat similar… to Zhang Hejun’s.

“Let Zhang Hejun rest more in the hospital.” Yin Ren ruffled his forehead, symbolically hiding his face with his bangs. “Next, I will disguise her ghost. As for you, Zhong Ge. You’ll just play the role of her distant relative—it’s all planned out. Let’s call you Zhang San.”

Liang Shan: “…”

Liang Shan quickly changed the subject. “… Xiao Yin, your mastery of spells has improved a lot! If it weren’t for me, others wouldn’t see through it.”

He stared intently at Zhong Chengshuo’s face. Upon hearing these words, Huang Jin curiously glanced at Liang Shan.

It seemed that this person was unaware.

Yellow Millet’s obscuring illusion was flawlessly executed by Yin Ren. The current Zhong Chengshuo was merely a substitute for an evil, easily transformed.

“Next, let’s ask the police to relax temporarily and allow Luo Chunlei to return to school.” Yin Ren floated behind the young Zhong Chengshuo, resembling a solid and fierce ghost. “In this chaotic school, we can fully experience it for a couple of days.”

Zhong Chengshuo looked at his own hand.

Yellow Millet’s illusion had no effect on him personally, and he couldn’t perceive what Yin Ren had done. However, he noticed that the gazes from all directions had shifted, and his “visual height” had become significantly shorter.

Yin Ren’s own transformation was genuine, with the young Ghost King fluttering around him, appearing to be in a good mood.

“My job is to cooperate with all of you.” Liang Shan laughed heartily. “What about the others?”

“Yin Ren’s idea is feasible. I’ll be in command here, and Ge Tingting and Huang Jin will continue their covert surveillance. It would be great if we could obtain concrete evidence, and if we could get clues from Luo Chunlei, that’d be a pleasant surprise.”

Lu Xiaohe paused her typing. Her newly created account had already joined the anonymous area.

“But our time is limited… Yin Ren, we only have four days until the connection to the other side is established. Is that enough time?”

“It’s enough.”

……

The next day, two major events occurred in Class 1-3 at Haigu Secondary School:

First, Luo Chunlei, who had been absent due to illness, returned to class.

Second, a new transfer student joined the class, rumored to be a relative of Zhang Hejun.

“Let’s welcome Zhang San, our new classmate.”

As soon as the teacher finished the introduction, the classroom erupted in laughter.

The teacher cleared his throat warningly several times before being able to continue.

“He is a relative of Zhang Hejun, and he will help take notes for Hejun during her absence. Please take care of your new classmate. I want to emphasize once again that Zhang Hejun has experienced a very unfortunate accident. Students should be careful when walking and avoid dangerous areas. The new student should also be cautious and not wander into the back mountain casually…”

In the front row of the classroom, Luo Chunlei glanced at Zhong Chengshuo for a moment, then shifted her gaze away, looking out of the window as if nothing had happened.

“Fortunes change, huh?” Yin Ren floated behind Zhong Chengshuo and playfully bit his ear. “Zhong Ge, do you need me to remind you of your lines?”

Zhong Chengshuo rubbed the strands of hair in his palm.

In the eyes of the students, the handsome new transfer student spoke up.

“Hello, everyone,” he said softly. “I’m here to find the culprit.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 194: Family of Three

“It’s been a few months, and you guys have both been promoted to B-level. Not bad, not bad. When I first saw you two, I thought you would at least spend three to five years in C-level.”

As for Zhong Chengshuo, who was “sacrificed”, it was kept confidential according to regulations, and poor Liang Shan was left in the dark. He patted the shoulders of the two vigorously.

Seeing the arrival of the investigation team, Mr. Liang Shan quickly dropped the line, “It’s great. I know them well. I’ll be responsible for communication,” and then abandoned his laptop with a face filled with relief. At noon, he generously booked a private room in the hospital cafeteria, claiming it was a reunion banquet.

It was just that most of the dishes served were from the hospital cafeteria, and Liang Shan only went out to buy some beverages.

On the makeshift “banquet” made of a stack of metal trays, Liang Shan distributed the beverages to everyone. Yin Ren’s hands instinctively reached for the cola, but midway through, he changed his mind and grabbed two bottles of sugar-free sparkling water.

“Things have been restless in Haigu lately. It’s been a long time since we got together… Oh, Lu Jie, you’re a rear commander. Why did you come to the front line?” Liang Shan took a seat and twisted open a bottle of lemon tea for himself.

“The case is quite special.” Lu Xiaohe tried to force a smile.

Mentioning the matter, a hint of bitterness instantly mixed into Liang Shan’s previously cheerful expression. “Don’t talk about it. We’re having troubles on our end too… Those kids are under fourteen, there are multiple participants, and the victim isn’t dead. Thinking about how to handle the aftermath gives me a headache. Now, it seems like Haigu’s secondary schools is a revolving stage where I’ll end up dying in this position sooner or later.”

He took a bite of an egg, chewing in frustration.

“Now I don’t understand what Shian’s intentions are. The Emergency Management Department is suppressing us with rules and regulations and not giving us additional manpower. Yet, they sent a B-level team. I really don’t know whether they value us or not.”

“There have been many incidents like this recently.” Zhong Chengshuo accurately summarized the key points.

“No kidding, this one is particularly heinous. Just talking about fights and brawls, we have more than a dozen cases every day.” Liang Shan glanced at him. “Just a few days ago, there was a bloody incident. Let me count… Four male high school students got into a conflict because they supported different basketball teams. The craziest one stabbed someone with a pen. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.”

“Then there’s the incident at the affiliated elementary school, where a girl was collectively insulted on an anonymous wall and attempted suicide. Just after her suspension, it turned out to be related to idol fandom. A male student in her class pushed a girl from the neighboring class down the stairs, resulting in a fracture. The parents claimed that he had a crush on the girl and wanted to get her attention.”

Liang Shan counted on his fingers.

“The most troublesome case regarding the middle school is the one involving being buried alive, and the reason is trivial. But now that you guys are here, we can all share the headache together.”

Liang Shan laughed heartily, but the reaction from the Shian team was lukewarm. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo maintained polite expressions and pleasantries, while Ge Tingting didn’t know how to respond. Lu Xiaohe still had half of her mind concerned about her missing mother, and Huang Jin’s reaction was the most direct—his face glanced at Liang Shan with a complex expression, clearly conveying the message “That’s it”.

Liang Shan’s smile twitched slightly, and he cleared his throat. “Perfect. This afternoon, I was planning to meet the most stubborn person related to the case. How about one of you go in my place? You’re all good-looking guys and girls, which will be more appealing to middle school girls.”

……

Huang Jin originally dismissed this “home visit”.

When he was sneaking around as a Nightwalker, he witnessed more miserable and bizarre things than this. Students in civilized society using such means against each other seemed like child’s play to him.

In previous cases, he could only make use of his spirit smith identity, and most of the time, he didn’t need it, which made him feel frustrated. This time, he finally caught a case with a high bonus and no risk to life. He was so happy about it. Comrade Liang Shan must have soaked in a peaceful atmosphere for too long, which made him think that such trivial matters were troublesome.

Joking aside, he could see people’s thoughts. When facing ordinary people who were unwilling to reveal their true feelings, this ability was truly advantageous. Even if Yin Ren was the respected Great Celestial Master, he might not be better than him in this aspect.

The “most stubborn” person related to the case lived in a medium-high-end residential area. The elevator in the corridor was clean, and there was even aromatherapy in the corners. Perhaps because the community was relatively new, there were no ghosts or strong negative energies around.

After sensing such an environment in the mortal realm, Huang Jin’s mood improved slightly. He didn’t lag behind the team as usual, but instead, he slightly overtook Ge Tingting and stood behind Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo.

A middle-aged woman opened the door.

Her thoughts on the surface were organized and faint, to the extent that Huang Jin could make out her clothing and figure. Most of the information surrounding her was about numbers and schedules, with hardly any emotional fluctuations.

[Not sure if two hours will be enough. If I’m not there, will the meeting materials be messed up?]

[What a hassle. They keep asking about the kids’ nonsense over and over again. They seem impressive. Maybe that family wants to extort money.]

“You’re looking for Chunlei, right? I’m her mother… There are quite a few people. Excuse me, can I check your identification?”

After checking everyone’s identification, the mother took a step back. She concealed her impatience well in her tone. But Huang Jin could see the restless thoughts swirling around her body.

“Chunlei, someone is here to talk to you. Come out.” The woman turned towards the nearby room door and spoke with a tone of indifference and detachment from the matter at hand.

The door was tightly shut, with <Song of a Thousand Seas> wallpaper pasted on it. There were faint traces of adhesive and torn pieces of paper stuck around the wallpaper. Inside the room, there was complete silence, as if no one was present.

“Chunlei, I still have a meeting. Don’t waste my time,” the woman raised her voice and called out again.

After a few seconds, the door slowly opened.

Huang Jin instinctively leaned back on the sofa.

The girl was surrounded by swirling characters of “like, like, like, like”, “masterpiece, masterpiece, masterpiece, masterpiece”, “Jiao Jiao is cute, cute”, which were incredibly large and spun crazily around her. Among the gaps in her thoughts, there was more impatience and annoyance than her mother, and even a sense of satisfaction for not having to go to school these days, as if she had accomplished something significant.

Thoughts about Zhang Hejun only appeared once amidst her swirling thoughts.

[Why didn’t that bitch die?] Chunlei thought lightly.

Huang Jin felt a bit uncomfortable and shifted his body.

The emotions of young people were delicate and light, like white foam shimmering with colorful fragments. The thoughts of the people on the street seemed impressive to some extent. However, the thoughts of this twelve-year-old girl made him feel an indescribable discomfort.

“Hello, brothers and sisters, my name is Luo Chunlei. You can ask me anything, and I will cooperate.”

Despite her chaotic and frenzied thoughts, her tone was very obedient and cute, sounding like a normal child.

“You all look so good—much better looking than the police officers yesterday.”

Huang Jin sighed and tapped the screen of his phone.

[Ten Thousand Taels: She’s not thinking much about the case, and I’m not sure about the details. But she has no remorse and harbors strong hostility towards Zhang Hejun.]

[Ten Thousand Taels: Don’t be fooled by this girl’s attitude.]

Yin Ren lowered his head and sent an [OK] in the group.

“When it comes to burying Zhang Hejun alive, they all say that you were the one in charge. When did you come up with this idea?” Yin Ren smiled and asked.

“Mr. Yin, if you continue to use such inappropriate words, I might have to request a lawyer be present.” Chunlei’s mother maintained her businesslike tone.

“I already told the police yesterday that it was just kids fooling around, and it was Zhang something who was not careful. ‘Being in charge of the burying’ sounds too harsh. In a society based on the rule of law, people should pay attention to evidence when speaking.”

“It’s alright, Mom. I don’t feel anything about it anyway. If I didn’t do it, then I didn’t do it,” the girl added with a cheerful smile, then turned to Yin Ren, showing no signs of nervousness in her expression.

“I had an argument with Zhang Hejun, and we didn’t get along. That day…”

“That day, she invited you to the mountain behind school, and she fell into a pit herself. You just threw a couple of handfuls of soil at her to tease her and then left early,” Zhong Chengshuo recited from the files word by word. “That’s the statement you gave to the police.”

This girl’s mental resilience was indeed impressive. The other girls who were involved in the burial were terrified when the police came knocking, and they confessed everything after a few rounds of questioning.

They were all fans of <Song of a Thousand Seas> and had previously attended the same primary school. Among them, Luo Chunlei came from a wealthy family and was generous with her spending. She could be considered the leader of their small group. Ever since Zhang Hejun made “insulting” remarks about their beloved “Jiao Jiao”, Luo Chunlei had been demanding that they harass Zhang Hejun for revenge.

[Initially, we wanted to criticize Zhang Hejun online, but she wasn’t in any group, didn’t have any social media accounts, and didn’t play on any platforms.]

Zhong Chengshuo had watched the video recordings of the girls’ interviews. The girls, aged around eleven or twelve, were on the verge of tears during their confessions, and it took them a while to calm down.

[Susu suggested using the anonymous wall on campus to insult Zhang Hejun, but Da Chun was worried that she wouldn’t see it, so she said she wanted to teach her a lesson in real life. At that time… when we found the pit, Da Chun suggested pushing the bitch… Zhang Hejun down and letting her stay there overnight…]

[But then, when we pushed her down, Da Chun found a shovel and asked us to fill the pit! At that moment, we… our minds went blank, and we took turns filling the pit… She was crying down there, and Da Chun said she deserved it. We just felt extremely excited and didn’t… didn’t think much about it…]

Unfortunately, there were no surveillance cameras in the mountain behind the school, and these young girls didn’t know what evidence to leave behind. The shovel they used to dig the soil was found at the scene, with only the fingerprints of the other girls on it. According to their statements, Luo Chunlei found the shovel dirty and used a handkerchief to cover the handle.

With only the testimonies of a few children, there was no concrete “evidence”.

Zhong Chengshuo pushed up his glasses while Luo Chunlei observed Yin Ren’s face and long hair with great interest, showing no signs of guilt.

“Yes, I already told the police officer. Do you have any other questions?” she said, looking at the others.

If Huang Jin hadn’t mentioned it, based on her performance alone, this little girl could easily pass for an innocent bystander.

“Brother is only doing a routine inquiry. Of course, we believe you,” Yin Ren said with a smile, then turned to Zhong Chengshuo.

“Zhong Ge, isn’t this like I said? It’s impossible for such a young child to commit a crime. It must be a misunderstanding.”

Luo Chunlei’s mother’s complexion improved slightly.

Yin Ren smiled faintly. “Our main task is to conduct an assessment. Someone buried prohibited pollutants in the mountain behind the school. The previous incident was just a joke involving your daughter. Now, we’ll test for contamination in her room, and our part will be done.”

The WeChat group of Unit 9 exploded.

[Ten Thousand Tales: This girl must be suspicious. Why didn’t you question her?]

[Milky Way: This is different from the agreed plan.]

[Fruit Knife: Mm.]

[Fruit Knife: Xiaohe Jie, later you, Zhong Ge and I will search the room. Huang Jin and Ge Tingting, keep an eye on Luo Chunlei.]

[Fruit Knife: I have my own plan.]

Yin Ren put his phone back in his pocket. His fingers tapped on the screen to finish typing, then he voluntarily locked it.

“Zhong Ge, Xiaohe Jie, let’s do a quick inspection together. It will only take three to five minutes, no problem… We have to enter your room and search. The detection equipment emits radiation, so please accompany your mother outside, little sister.”

Luo Chunlei’s expression stiffened for a moment. “Uh, okay!”

Huang Jin narrowed his eyes at her.

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep the door open during the inspection, and we won’t damage your things,” Yin Ren reassured cheerfully.

However, the moment he stepped into Luo Chunlei’s room, he immediately pinched Yellow Millet hanging from his phone. Yellow Millet emitted an excited “puff” sound, and in an instant, an illusion blocked the door.

This room was completely different from their impression of a “middle school student’s room”. All the walls, including the ceiling, were covered in posters of <Song of a Thousand Seas>. Even the bed covers and pillowcases were themed with related colors. Various merchandise occupied an entire wall. This girl must have bought numerous sets.

Every object was meticulously arranged in an organized and systematic manner, but they were packed so densely that it made it hard to breathe.

Even the experienced Lord Ghost King and King Yama were stunned for a moment by this sight.

Lu Xiaohe was the first to react. “Yin Ren, what did you just…”

“It’s fine even if you speak a little louder. They can only see illusions when they look into the room” Yin Ren exhaled, while he opened the workgroup chat and continued typing: [Is Luo Chunlei worried about anything? @Ten Thousand Taels]

[Ten Thousand Taels: …You are so ruthless.]

[Ten Thousand Taels: She’s worried if you will find the hidden phone in the closet under the clothes.]

[Fruit Knife: Just as expected.]

He went straight to the closet that occupied the opposite wall. Numerous strands of hair extended from his hand and slipped into the gaps of the closet. Within five seconds, a small phone was flipped out.

“Liang Shan and the others checked her phone, and it was clean,” Lu Xiaohe said, slightly surprised. “How did you know…”

“That kid has strong psychological resilience, and theoretically, she has been exposed to electronic devices longer than me. I will never underestimate any senior,” Yin Ren stated seriously. “Xiaohe Jie, can you install surveillance software on this in five minutes?”

……

Five minutes later, Yin Ren walked out of the room with a smile on his face. “We’re done searching, there’s nothing here. Sorry for the disturbance, we’ll go back now—”

“Go back? Just like that? What a letdown.”

A male voice sounded.

A drunken man leaned against the door frame. His face and neck were flushed from alcohol. It seemed like he had just entered, still holding an empty white wine bottle in his hand.

Huang Jin protected Ge Tingting and stood at a safe distance. Luo Chunlei’s mother was fully engrossed in a phone call, and her words were interspersed with excited laughter. Luo Chunlei smiled obediently and introduced with ease, “Brothers, sisters, this is my dad.”

“My wife is quite spirited, huh? Called so many people, spent quite a lot, huh?”

The man exhaled the smell of alcohol. His bloodshot eyes scanned the members of Unit 9, without any regard for his words.

The members of Unit 9 exchanged surprised glances—Luo Chunlei was right there in the living room, and even with his young daughter present, this gentleman clearly had no reservations.

“Sir, we are working in collaboration with the police.” Lu Xiaohe frowned and took the lead in stepping forward. “Please watch your words…”

Bang!!!

The man knocked the white wine bottle against the door frame, causing shards to splinter and leaving a small cut on his face.

“What… what… what kind of workers are you? My wife brought you here…” The man gestured with the sharp bottle while slurring his words. “A bunch of filthy scum…”

“Hahaha, Mr. Zhao, look at what you’re saying.”

Luo Chunlei’s mother seemed as if she hadn’t heard anything, laughing even more heartily. She stood in the middle of the living room, facing her husband’s outburst, but her gaze seemed to pass through thin air.

“I’m going to work soon. I promise it won’t delay—”

Despite being in the same room, the atmosphere among the family was even less harmonious than that with a stranger, creating an indescribable sense of discordance.

With cheerful and lively game music playing in the background, the man’s gaze swept across the living room, chuckling inexplicably. He tossed the bottle aside and staggered into the kitchen. Passing by Luo Chunlei’s mother as if they were two strangers.

Lu Xiaohe had just breathed a sigh of relief when the man emerged again.

This time, he had a bucket of disinfectant alcohol in his hand, along with a lighter.

“Boring.” He walked past his own wife and started splashing alcohol onto the wooden furniture.

The floor quickly became covered in puddles, but Luo Chunlei’s mother, who was still on the phone, simply glanced at it and walked to a clean spot without ever interrupting her laughter.

“Boring.” The strong-smelling alcohol was poured onto the sofa. Luo Chunlei wrinkled her nose and moved a bit farther away.

Huang Jin couldn’t bear it any longer. “You fucking—”

“Hmm?” The man played with the lighter as his bloodshot eyes turned towards Huang Jin. “What do you want to do? This is my house!”

“It wouldn’t be bad if we all died in my house, hehe…” In a daze, he seemed to remember something. “Right, the door. The door needs to be closed…”

In the next instant, he casually pressed the lighter.

Amidst the game sounds and laughter, the sound of the lighter “clicking” was barely audible. However, despite pressing the lighter, no flame emerged. The man shook the lighter in confusion and then began frantically pressing it.

Yin Ren relaxed his hand, having manipulated the lighter. The moment the man pressed the lighter, he had swapped out the gasoline with water.

“There’s a meeting at 7 o’clock tonight? I got it, mmhmm, no problem at all…” Luo Chunlei’s mother witnessed the entire scene but maintained steady breathing.

“It’s been a really unlucky day…” Luo Chunlei’s father continued pressing the lighter, click by click.

“Goodbye, big brothers and sisters!”

Luo Chunlei pointed to the slightly open anti-theft door with an extremely sweet smile. Half of her clothes were soaked in alcohol, emitting a strong alcoholic scent.

“You’re welcome to come and play again!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 193: Motive for Murder

“Is everything okay with Uncle?”

On the way to the Municipal Hospital, Ge Tingting asked anxiously.

At this moment, the members of Unit 9 were sitting in a van. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo occupied the last row, while Lu Xiaohe and Ge Tingting sat in the middle row. Huang Jin, a loner, huddled in the front passenger seat, emitting a sense of hatred towards the whole world.

Since narrowly escaping the Other Side, Huang Jin immediately took a leave of absence and rested for a day. Ever since his “persistent affection for Ding Lizi” was made public to all colleagues, he wished to use all his vacation time to escape reality.

However, the progress of the case was too fast, and Huang Jin’s ostrich plan failed in just one day.

“My dad is fine. I’ve talked to him. Minister Li isn’t someone who would lie about these things. He said that Mom won’t have any problems in the short term, so she’ll be fine.”

After receiving the explanation from Shian, Lu Xiaohe managed to get some sleep and finally no longer wore a haggard expression.

“Our investigation of these unusual cases is equivalent to investigating the source of corruption indirectly.”

Ge Tingting nodded, seemingly half understanding.

“According to Shian’s current intelligence, there has been a surge in homicides recently, more or less influenced by those sources of corruption. Those small pendants are like sieves—whoever comes into contact with them, those who meet the conditions disappear, and those who don’t become ‘carriers of corruption’ and unconsciously spread the contamination.”

Yin Ren in the back row patiently added.

“Thanks, Yin Ge. I understand now.” As the van stopped at a red light, Ge Tingting couldn’t help but look out of the window.

The weather was nice today, and the streets were bustling with people. Vehicles on the road flickered with reflections, and the subway rumbled past. On children’s necks, students’ backpacks, adults’ keychains or handbags, and various small charms for blessings swayed and shook.

It should have been a lively scene, but it sent shivers down her spine.

How did Sunken Society manage to do it?

The strength of those small things’ aura was difficult for Shian to detect. Judging from the sudden increase in the crime rate in Haigu, their ability to corrupt shouldn’t be underestimated. Sunken Society had been repeatedly thwarted by Shian recently that Ge Tingting couldn’t understand how they enacted such a tightly knit plan.

Ge Tingting earnestly edited her questions in the input box. When it came time to send, her fingertip hesitated over the “send” button, but she didn’t press it.

…No, perhaps she knew the reason.

How to infect living people and trigger abilities—there was no doubt that Sunken Society had conducted many experiments in this regard. Her “little accomplice”, Feng Qi, was still in Shian and had to undergo a physical examination every week, fearing the dire consequences left by contact with an original source of corruption.

And how to spread corruption uniformly and cause a large number of personnel to lose control; this similar research was conducted by Sunken Society in Gengsheng Town. At that time, the residents of Gengsheng Town collectively went mad, showing that Sunken Society’s research was quite successful.

She quickly deleted her previous question and typed a completely new one in the input box voiced by the AI.

“Sunken Society has been preparing for so long just to increase the crime rate in Haigu? But even if they make Haigu panic, what benefits does Sunken Society get from it?”

After all the hard work and research, the final product was being used in such a way. Ge Tingting had a feeling that Sunken Society had spent three years sharpening a sword only to use it to cut grass.

“That’s what we need to find out.”

Yin Ren also watched the bustling crowd on the street, his tone relaxed.

Undoubtedly, Sunken Society was collaborating with the Primordial Elementals from the Other Side. He would remember to ask these questions before he started eating Mr. Le.

“Well, I have another question.”

Ge Tingting contemplated for a moment and honestly added another question.

“It’s not that cold today. Why did you put a scarf on the flesh puppet? Is there any significance to it?”

Yin Ren’s relaxed expression froze on his face.

The autumn chill had been growing stronger recently. Yin Ren was fine; he just added a black hoodie over his T-shirt, still maintaining that casual and carefree look reminiscent of a classic modern young person’s attire.

On the other hand, Zhong Chengshuo was dressed neatly in a high-necked white shirt and a light beige windbreaker. He even wore a long, light brown scarf, looking quite formal. His glasses covered his dim eyes, giving him a harmless and gentle appearance.

“…My flesh puppet is precious, and it’s necessary to keep it warm.” Lord Ghost King glanced at his lover along the way and casually blurted out.

“Is there such a thing?” Huang Jin, whose knowledge as a spirit smith was challenged, finally couldn’t hold back.

“My flesh puppet is special. Is that not allowed?” Yin Ren crossed his arms. “What are you looking at? The flesh puppet spells you use were improved by me.”

“And I really like this scarf,” Zhong Chengshuo added as he naturally placed his hand on the back of Yin Ren’s hand. “We picked this scarf together.”

Huang Jin scrutinized Zhong Chengshuo for a while with a complex gaze, then loudly clicked his tongue.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the van was about to shift from colleagues bickering to a sorrowful story, the van creaked to a stop near the hospital. Huang Jin was the first to jump out, almost colliding with a group of passing students.

The young boys and girls were wearing school uniforms and had childish faces but were not short in stature. They seemed to be returning from some activity, walking around in a scattered manner, running, and jumping around. Huang Jin was bumped by a few male students who passed by and almost stumbled on the roadside.

Yin Ren followed and got out of the van. He grimaced at Huang Jin and said, “Alright, let’s go. Hurry up and go meet your Ding Lizi. Maybe you can catch lunch together. You two can be alone…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a surge of hostility suddenly surged around them, and a spell came crashing down towards them.

The spell itself wasn’t powerful, and Yin Ren easily blocked it with a casual gesture, but then he furrowed his brows—the source of that spell turned out to be the wooden spirit weapon in Huang Jin’s hand.

“Huang Jin, what’s going on?” Lu Xiaohe was surprised.

With a thud, the wooden spirit weapon fell to the ground. It rolled back and forth on the stone bricks a few times, dropped onto the road, and in the next moment, it was crushed into pieces by a passing vehicle.

Huang Jin broke out in a cold sweat, his chest heaving uncontrollably. He seemed to have just woken up from a dream, instinctively looking at Yin Ren with a bewildered gaze. “I… “

“What happened to you?” Ge Tingting’s expression wasn’t pleasant either.

“I don’t know.” Huang Jin tremblingly put away the spirit weapon. “I just felt annoyed by Yin Ren and wanted to give him a beating to feel satisfied.”

“Oh, really? Tell us about it,” Yin Ren took a step closer, his expression blank.

“No, no, no, I didn’t actually want to hurt you! I wouldn’t be able to kill you even if you stood there and let me hit you!” Seeing Yin Ren’s serious expression, Huang Jin remembered his identity, and his scalp went numb.

“No, what you did just now isn’t like you. What were you thinking at that moment? Tell us in detail.”

Huang Jin was taken aback. He seemed to realize something, and his expression turned serious.

“Since it’s related to the case, then I’ll tell the truth.”

Huang Jin looked up at the sky, and his tone became determined.

“I was thinking just now, even if Zhong Chengshuo is gone, and even if you’ve created some kind of evil substitute, there’s no need to show affection in front of everyone. I’m being cautious with Ding Lizi on my side, but you’re acting so casual… Forget it, I can’t put it into words. It’s just that when you were talking, I suddenly found you displeasing and wanted to vent.”

“Hmm.” Yin Ren didn’t get angry; he responded earnestly, then turned his head to look at the group of middle school students running in the distance. The sunlight was just right, and the loose school uniforms were wrapped around the figures of the youths. It should have been a scene full of youthful vitality.

But he faintly felt a chilling trace.

……

“Zhang Hejun, thirteen years old, Grade 7, Class 3 of Haigu Junior High School. This girl has congenital heart disease and was my patient. She stayed in the hospital for a year.”

Outside the ward, Sun Qi’an drank a can of Red Bull and let out a heavy sigh.

“She was recovering quite well before. Her parents were discussing sending her back to school… But just a few months after returning, something like this happened. Her parents must be devastated.”

Inside the ward, Zhang Hejun was still sleeping. According to the police’s explanation, she was conscious for a while and managed to provide a description of the case. However, afterwards, she became extremely drowsy. At the moment, she was in a deep sleep, and the nurses didn’t allow anyone to visit her.

“How is Zhang Hejun’s condition?” Yin Ren looked at the tightly closed ward door.

“Not good. She was buried for quite a long time, and it was a close call to save her. Her physical condition wasn’t good to begin with, and the duration of cerebral hypoxia was too long. It’s a miracle that she woke up… As for any potential sequelae, it’s hard to say. But given her current condition, there must be some problem with her brain.”

Saying this, Sun Qi’an’s delicate face twisted slightly.

“Those kids are really crazy, doing something like this. There were no signs beforehand, and what happened far exceeded the level of campus violence. It doesn’t make sense at all.”

“…Yeah, and we can’t do anything about them. Among the kids who acted, the oldest is just twelve years old.”

Officer Sun, in plainclothes, brought a bag of drinks and approached the group.

“Dad!” Sun Qi’an’s furrowed brow relaxed, finally showing a hint of a smile. Officer Sun took out a can of hot juice and gently pressed it against Sun Qi’an’s cheek.

But when he turned to the members of Unit 9, his expression became serious again.

“I’ve given you all the basic information, and I’m sure you’ve read it. This case is sensational, but the motive is quite simple. This morning, I talked to the ‘perpetrators’ again, and their accounts match Zhang Hejun’s statement.”

Yin Ren nodded.

Before coming, Lu Xiaohe also organized the case materials. They were no longer rookies in Shian; each of them could recite the information by heart.

Zhang Hejun returned to school after a year of hospitalization, and her classmates were essentially one year younger than her. Coupled with Zhang Hejun’s introverted personality, she had trouble making close friends and seemed somewhat isolated.

However, according to the teachers, in the few months since school started, she had been keeping to herself and showed no signs of being bullied.

“According to the current reports, the problem is related to the popular show <Songs of a Thousand Seas>,” Lu Xiaohe continued the conversation with Officer Sun. “Are there no other motives?”

Officer Sun shook his head and let out a bitter smile. “Although it’s strange, there really isn’t. You guys are young. Has anyone watched that thing?”

All five members of Unit 9 shook their heads together. Zhong Chengshuo was about to nod, but then he remembered his identity and quickly stopped himself. Then, he looked at Yin Ren with a puzzled expression—this person seemed to have watched even <Tom and Jerry> with great interest, so he thought Lord Ghost King had already seen all the popular audiovisual works.

“I have some impression. It’s a 3D animation, right? It’s almost a thousand episodes, and the story is a bit childish, so I didn’t watch it. But I often see its promotional activities, and it seems to be quite popular recently.”

Yin Ren struggled to recall various major video streaming sites.

Officer Sun sighed and said, “Never mind, the work itself isn’t important. The situation is the same as stated in the report. Because Zhang Hejun hadn’t watched it and made a mistake in her words, those kids who took action believed that she insulted one of the characters in the show—that’s the only motive.”

Even though they were mentally prepared, the faces of the members of Unit 9 twisted in their own ways, except for Zhong Chengshuo.

Such a childish reason, yet it almost claimed a young girl’s life.

“Uncle Sun, this case should be closed. Why did you ask for Shian’s help?” Yin Ren scrolled through the report document on his phone. “Even if there’s some metaphysical object involved, once Shian confirms it, the process should be over.”

Officer Sun’s mouth twitched a few times. “That’s the problem. Follow me… Honey, do whatever you need to do. Dad has work to do.”

“Okay, I’ll stay here. If Zhang Hejun wakes up, I’ll contact you right away.”

Sun Qian finished the hot juice in one gulp and waved to the group.

Within five minutes, the group arrived in front of a certain ward in the specialized section of Shian.

Officer Sun sighed and knocked on the door twice. “I’m bringing people in—”

“Come in, come in!” A familiar and desperate voice came from inside the room.

Yin Ren raised an eyebrow and followed Officer Sun into the ward.

His steps were a bit heavy, and as soon as he entered the room, there were a series of rustling sounds. If it weren’t for Zhong Chengshuo’s quick reflexes, the door would have been buried by the nearly collapsing cardboard wall.

Countless moving boxes occupied most of the space, almost reaching the ceiling. They were tightly sealed, with long numbers written on them. On one side, a stack of half-open boxes was haphazardly piled against the wall, forming a jungle of cardboard boxes.

Within the gaps of this cardboard jungle, Liang Shan sat with a locked laptop, wearing a pained expression as he typed. Two Shian appraisers stood nearby with numb expressions, arranging various small trinkets into the boxes—

Acrylic keychains, ballpoint pens, erasers, pencil cases, notebooks… all the school supplies and toys one could think of were present. Yin Ren randomly grabbed a notepad and barely recognized the characters from <Songs of a Thousand Seas>. He rummaged through it for a moment, then grabbed a planner with acrylic accessories from another work.

Feeling the familiar aura from these objects, Yin Ren’s expression also turned numb. Yellow Millet hanging as a pendant on his phone shook in confusion but managed to hold back its puffing.

“What are these boxes?” Finally, the unlucky Huang Jin asked the fatal question.

“Corruption sources.”

Liang Shan, typing frantically on the keyboard, raised his head with an exhausted gaze.

“All of these boxes contain corruption found in the secondary schools of Haigu… They’re like damn cockroaches; no matter how many we confiscate, we can’t clean it up, and we can’t find the source.”

Seeing the spectacular scene resembling a wholesale market of corruption sources, Huang Jin instinctively took two steps back. If it weren’t for Ge Tingting intentionally blocking the doorway, he would probably have exited in a hurry.

The seemingly ordinary cardboard boxes now carried a horrifying shadow, and the air was filled with an indescribable smell. There were at least a thousand items in these boxes. Even though Shian had dealt with them before, Huang Jin’s neck hair still stood up in the subtle, oppressive atmosphere.

“All of them are corruption sources.” He looked at the half of the ward filled with boxes and muttered.

“I don’t know what’s corrupted or not, but there’s something wrong with those girls, so Xiao Liang suggested conducting a thorough carpet search… Here, these are just the results from this morning’s search.”

Officer Sun rubbed his face in anguish.

“There have been quite a few incidents in Haigu’s secondary schools recently, but only the cases involving loss of life came to my department. The school has been suppressing a lot, and the remaining cases are enough to drive my colleagues in the neighboring department crazy. Anyway, the reason I called you here is this situation.”

Yin Ren: “…”

He wanted to use a levitation spell as an opportunity to have more contact with the corruption and find any clues about Mr. Le.

The problem was that they were given too many!

……

At the same time, inside Zhang Hejun’s hospital room.

The little girl lifted her heavy eyelids and looked at the ceiling. Sun Qi’an was sitting on a chair by her side. “Hejun, how are you feeling?”

“…Sun Jie.” Zhang Hejun’s gaze shifted. It followed the IV tube down from the IV bag, stopping at the back of her hand where the needle was inserted. When she raised her eyes again, her eye sockets were a little red. “Sun Jie…”

“I’m here.” Sun Qi’an smiled and spoke softly.

Just as she finished speaking, Sun Qi’an’s pocket vibrated. Zhang Hejun was a bit surprised as she widened her eyes—she had heard that mobile phones were generally not allowed to be used in the ward.

However, Sun Qi’an nonchalantly took out her phone. She stood up, turned away from Zhang Hejun, and her voice became even softer and gentler. “Didn’t I tell you not to contact me using this phone casually?”

“The hospital has people from Shian, and I thought… Ahem, I thought it would be safer to choose another method. ‘Disgust’ died without clear reasons, and you know ‘Sorrow’s’ attitude… No matter how careful I am now, it’s not excessive.”

“…” Sun Qi’an remained silent for a long time. After a while, she sighed. “Alright, what do you want to say?”

“How is the preparation on your end? Who did Shian send over?”

The male voice on the other end of the phone asked earnestly and humbly.

“Everything is normal. Shian sent the newly promoted B-level Special Investigation Unit 9.”

“B-level…”

“Don’t underestimate Unit 9. They are somewhat involved in all the current plans. Like you said earlier, being cautious is not excessive… You have to cast a long line to catch a big fish.” Her voice became softer, even emitting a motherly warmth.

“I, ahem, I understand, I understand…”

“Don’t call again. This method is not as safe as you imagine. Be careful with everything.”

After saying that, Sun Qi’an hung up the phone. She then snapped her fingers at the indoor camera before turning back.

The two of them quietly locked eyes.

Zhang Hejun sat upright on the hospital bed, with a murky white color appearing deep in her pupils.

“It’s really worrying.” Sun Qi’an returned to her chair, assuming her previous posture.

“We’ll have to remind him again face-to-face next time.”

Zhang Hejun opened her mouth, responding in the exact same tone.

“…Hejun, how do you feel?” The next second, Sun Qi’an’s tone became cheerful. “Your classmates came to visit you earlier and left many flowers. We can put them in a vase.”

“Sister, there’s no need to comfort me.”

Zhang Hejun smiled weakly.

“We’re all unfamiliar with each other. It’s definitely just the teacher’s request.”

As her gaze swept over the phone in Sun Qi’an’s pocket, a flicker of vacancy passed through her eyes.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Just a note: Secondary school in China usually comprises grades 7th–12th. Going by my experience in the US, our school system is generally divided into middle school/junior high school (6th–8th, or sometimes 9^th) and high school (9th–12th).

So some things may get confusing based on your understanding of your country’s school system.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 192: Answer

“Do you want to use that wooden talisman to send me to the Other Side?”

Yin Ren smiled, causing his brows and eyes to curve.

But beneath that smile, Zhong Chengshuo faintly sensed a warning. Although he wasn’t adept at social affairs, as King Yama of the Nightwalkers, Zhong Chengshuo was always sensitive to changes in “enemies”.

“I don’t think so.” Yin Ren’s smile grew even brighter. “You must have been too careless, right?”

The subtle warning became even more apparent.

Zhong Chengshuo slowly lowered his arms. “No, I really wanted you to touch the wooden talisman.”

“Oh, I remember. Before I took the medicine, I did let you create a control plan on your own… Zhong Ge, your plan can’t be that simple, right? Just a hug?”

Yin Ren took a half-step back, allowing his hair to slide casually on the wooden floor, leaving deep marks.

“This plan is really adorable. How could I not sense the Evil Force carried by the wooden talisman?”

“I still need to test it anyway. It seems that ‘Innocent Thoughts’ doesn’t have much impact on intelligence,” Zhong Chengshuo muttered. “It only affects thought patterns…”

“Well, I like this state. My mind is much clearer. It’s strange, though. Why did I resist that pill before?”

Seeing that Zhong Chengshuo stubbornly refused to wear his nightcap, Yin Ren concluded that he wouldn’t be going to sleep anytime soon. He simply sat on the sofa without blinking as he looked at Zhong Chengshuo.

“Since you’re so insistent on experimenting with that stuff, I’ll be straightforward. Until the situation is clear, I don’t want to take risks by testing the wooden talisman myself.”

“There’s still some stewed lamb soup left. Do you want to eat lamb noodles?” Zhong Chengshuo didn’t answer directly, keeping the wooden talisman hidden in his sleeve and pretending nothing happened.

Yin Ren’s expression stiffened for a few seconds, and his eyebrows furrowed. His blood-red eyes stared intensely at Zhong Chengshuo, but after a few seconds, he smiled as if nothing had happened.

“No, I won’t eat. Didn’t you say late-night eating is unhealthy? Then I won’t eat either.”

Yin Ren stretched lazily on the sofa, keeping the tablet and phone he used to watch shows far away from him, showing no intention of touching them.

In the dim light, through that familiar face, Zhong Chengshuo saw the past Yin Ren.

While he used to go to sleep early, Yin Ren liked to watch movies or TV dramas in the living room by himself. He wasn’t particular about his posture, often lying on the sofa in various positions, sometimes even upside down. When he had seen enough, Yin Ren would quietly climb into bed. Sometimes, even after getting into bed, he would still play with his phone quietly.

During his half-dream state, Zhong Chengshuo had once felt Yin Ren lean forward and gently kiss the top of his head, whispering a goodnight.

When they woke up the next day, they would always be close together, absorbing each other’s warmth.

Zhong Chengshuo used to think that it was the most ordinary state when they were together. But now, it felt so sweet and warm, yet so out of reach.

“…Then I’ll cook my own portion since you don’t want to test it yourself. I’ll have to come up with a new experimental plan.”

As Zhong Chengshuo said this, he didn’t look at Yin Ren.

He stood up, tied on an apron, and casually flicked off the broken line on the “Big Shot” as if jokingly, then plucked it off.

Yin Ren remained motionless, right where he was, but a clear hum escaped him, and his expression became even darker than before. Zhong Chengshuo, on the other hand, walked into the kitchen as usual and began simmering the leftover lamb soup from the previous night.

He simmered the soup on the lowest heat and heated a cup of milk for himself. Efficiently completing these tasks, Zhong Chengshuo returned to the table with a mug in hand. He held a book and a pen, lowered his head, and started reading an academic book on neuroscience.

Throughout, his gaze never turned towards Yin Ren, as if there was no one else in the room.

“Since there are arrangements, you can focus on your tasks first, and when you’re done, we’ll sleep together.”

Seeing that Zhong Chengshuo no longer responded, Yin Ren stopped smiling, and his tone carried a hint of suppressed anger.

Expressionless, he sat in his original spot, and his black hair climbed along the table. It carefully avoided the position of the wooden talisman and reached Zhong Chengshuo’s arm, then moved closer to his cheek. Zhong Chengshuo glanced sideways—the grape-sized crimson eyeballs at the tips of the hair were looking at him from multiple directions.

Still, Zhong Chengshuo remained silent. He clenched his fist cautiously, his palm sweating.

The delicious aroma of the lamb soup wafted from the pot. In the past, Yin Ren would have already rushed to the kitchen to steal a taste. But now, Yin Ren remained firmly seated on the sofa, showing no intention of standing up.

The crimson eyeballs at the tips of his hair seemed alive. They dragged their nerve-like dark hair, floating near Zhong Chengshuo’s hand. Whenever Zhong Chengshuo lifted his pen, several eyeballs would roll over and brush against the back of his hand.

Cold and wet; the sensation was akin to touching an ice cube dipped in water.

For a moment, the atmosphere indoors felt less like a “home” and more like a battlefield filled with ominous energy.

The usual scene of one person drinking milk and reading a book at the table while the other snacked on the sofa and watched shows had lost its casual atmosphere. The occasional small talk seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Zhong Chengshuo had never experienced such an uncomfortable silence before.

“I don’t want to be bothered by those trivial matters of the Other Side anymore. If those Elementals continue to cause trouble, we might as well move away from Haigu.”

Yin Ren seemed to dislike the silence as well, and he was the first to break it.

As soon as he spoke, dozens of eyeballs suddenly approached Zhong Chengshuo, almost reaching his face, and the connecting hairs at the tips of the eyeballs stood stiff. Zhong Chengshuo wondered if these eyeballs would try to enter his mouth if he didn’t respond.

“I still have the wish to ‘protect the descendants of those children’, and that wish has no limits. As I understand it, the descendants of those descendants children are included,” he said, clearing his throat, his tone devoid of emotion.

“You’re so stubborn. If I revoke the wish, then it’s fine.” Yin Ren played with his long hair.

Zhong Chengshuo’s response wasn’t unexpected. He silently turned a page and continued to plan his next move in his mind.

“What about the answer?”

For a moment, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t react. “What?”

When he looked up again, Yin Ren had already flashed to the opposite side. His black hair cascaded to the floor, like flowing shadows. A pair of crimson eyes brimmed with amusement sent shivers down one’s spine.

The tips of the hair scratched against the floor, emitting an uncomfortable and sharp sound.

“I said I can revoke the wish, but you haven’t answered me.” Yin Ren rested his cheek on his hand. “Zhong Ge, what’s your answer?”

“…I don’t want to discuss this matter for now.”

After saying that, Zhong Chengshuo took a sip of milk and made a few more notes in his book with the pen.

“That won’t do. Weren’t we always so in sync?”

A few strands of hair wrapped around the pen, forcibly stopping Zhong Chengshuo’s movements. The crimson eyeballs slid along Zhong Chengshuo’s skin, lightly brushing against his Adam’s apple.

“Since just now, you’ve been ignoring me. Well, let’s do this: you must answer immediately to everything I say.”

The air in the room became increasingly heavy, and the feeling of oppression was suffocating. There was no hint of killing intent in the pressure, but it still rendered one immobile. Even during the days when they had just met, there was never such a tense atmosphere.

Zhong Chengshuo stared at Yin Ren intently.

Back then, he had split half of his power with Yin Ren. As he fused into a human body, his aura “disappeared”. The power took root and merged within Yin Ren’s body, giving birth to a brand new and formidable Primordial Elemental.

He had lost half of his power, and even if he could recover it, Yin Ren, who had received that half of his power, would also grow.

…Grow into a stronger, more exceptional new generation; growing into the very enemy that should swallow him—the most dangerous one.

For the first time, Zhong Chengshuo vividly realized how bloody their relationship should have been.

Crackle!

Before his thoughts had finished processing, the book in Zhong Chengshuo’s hand burst into flames without any external source. Dark flames surged three meters high, instantly turning the pages into ashes. The black flames licked Zhong Chengshuo’s fingertips, colder than ice and snow.

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Yin Ren leisurely formed hand seals with his fingers.

Zhong Chengshuo exhaled slowly. “That was my book.”

“I can see that. It’s not like it’s some rare edition. Anyway, I’ll buy you a couple more tomorrow—who told you to ignore me just now?” Yin Ren’s tone was as gentle as before, but it carried a hint of grievance. “Zhong Ge, are you angry?”

Zhong Chengshuo touched the ashes on the table, leaving distinct marks with his fingertips. He sighed, finished the now cold milk in his cup, and briskly stood up.

The cup was placed back on the table, producing a faint but distinct sound of impact.

In the next moment, Zhong Chengshuo felt a slight constriction on his limbs, neither light nor heavy. “Zhong Ge, you still haven’t answered me… Are you angry?”

“Are you angry?”

The strands of hair transformed into the familiar texture of wings in Zhong Chengshuo’s perception. They were warm and soft as usual, but quickly bound his limbs, rendering him immobile.

Those soft strands of hair slipped into Zhong Chengshuo’s pajamas, gliding against his skin. Yin Ren’s tone was gentle, like usual, and Zhong Chengshuo momentarily struggled to determine whether Yin Ren was angry or acting spoiled.

Yin Ren took a step closer, and the oppressive atmosphere in the room felt like an unfrozen swamp in winter. The lush green plants in the living room quickly withered and turned black; their shriveled leaves covered in a layer of frost. With a snap, the warm glow of the ceiling lamp suddenly burst, plunging the room into darkness.

Moonlight spilled through the window, casting everything in the room into shadows. Zhong Chengshuo stared directly into those familiar crimson eyes, and in the darkness, those eyes resembled two drops of blood.

Zhong Chengshuo moved his lips, but ultimately didn’t utter a single word.

Once or twice could be attributed to carelessness or unintentional actions, but Zhong Chengshuo was sure that the current behavior was undoubtedly deliberate. This was the first time they experienced a cold war, and Yin Ren’s expression became extremely unpleasant to look at.

He took two steps forward, placing his palm on Zhong Chengshuo’s chest, which was scorching hot. The strands of hair crawled on Zhong Chengshuo’s body like serpents, entwining more tightly.

Zhong Chengshuo slowly lowered his gaze. His right hand, hiding the wooden talisman, subtly accumulated power. In the next instant, he struggled to break free from the entangling hair, swinging his hand towards Yin Ren. This time, Zhong Chengshuo’s speed was extremely fast, using all his strength. Yin Ren didn’t have time to react, and the strands of hair left bloody marks on Zhong Chengshuo’s arm.

Under the moonlight, blood splattered.

However, his speed was ultimately no match for Yin Ren, who was the “Ghost King”. Yin Ren’s hair turned into whips, lashing fiercely at Zhong Chengshuo’s right wrist. Stimulated by the attack, Zhong Chengshuo’s grip loosened. A blurry and faint shadow flew out of his palm, making a light tapping sound as it landed in the gap behind the sofa.

The black hair directly restrained Zhong Chengshuo’s wrist, forcing him to open his five fingers, revealing the blood-stained palm.

“So that’s how it is.”

Yin Ren’s fingertips brushed over the fine wounds in Zhong Chengshuo’s palm while their chests pressed together. They were of similar height, and now their breaths intertwined, carrying a sweet and bloody scent.

“When you went to the kitchen just now, you cut your palm to stain the wooden talisman with blood. After weakening its aura, you planned to take advantage of the situation and attack me… Zhong Ge, I’m so disappointed.”

Yin Ren’s tone was soft, as he lifted his bloodstained fingertips and brushed them over Zhong Chengshuo’s lips. Yin Ren’s fingertips were scorching hot like embers, and the blood on them became stickier as they moved away from the wound. Zhong Chengshuo instinctively closed his lips, and the strong scent of blood instantly filled his mouth.

It was his own blood.

“Since you want to deal with me, I thought you would come up with more interesting moves.”

As Zhong Chengshuo turned his head in response to Yin Ren’s words, Yin Ren’s fingertips made another shallow cut on the corner of his lips, leaving a trace of blood.

“For Advanced Primordial Elementals like us, they seem to assume that the new ones should consume the old ones, right? It’s rare that our relationship is stable, so please don’t ruin this hard-won peace, okay?”

Yin Ren’s last sentence was almost a whisper, like murmuring in a dream.

Zhong Chengshuo was like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web, being entangled by thread after thread. Yin Ren leaned closer, lightly biting Zhong Chengshuo’s earlobe with his teeth.

Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes moved like dry ink. His breathing was steady, and he remained silent as usual.

Yin Ren sighed softly, using a bit more force with his teeth. Crimson droplets of blood seeped from the soft earlobe, coiling into Yin Ren’s mouth. The taste of fresh blood made Yin Ren’s heartbeat suddenly accelerate. Through the thin fabric, Zhong Chengshuo could even feel the pounding of his heart.

Maintaining their close proximity, with sticky strands of hair, Yin Ren pressed his fingers gently against Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes, then moved along his nose bridge, lightly gliding over his lips.

Pausing at the bloodstained lips for a moment, his fingertips slowly continued to move towards Zhong Chengshuo’s throat.

“I don’t like my previous self. There were too many distractions, and I overlooked the most precious thing to me.”

At some point, two additional arms appeared on Yin Ren’s body, emerging from under his ribs and encircling Zhong Chengshuo’s waist ethereally.

“I’ve never been this clear-minded before. Maybe I was too indulgent and lazy in the past, but it’s okay if you don’t like my current state. Given time, you’ll get used to it.”

Yin Ren slowed his breathing, pressing a kiss with a mix of blood and sweetness onto Zhong Chengshuo’s lips. Then, another strand of hair wrapped around Zhong Chengshuo’s throat, directly enclosing it.

“How does the pressure feel? Isn’t it uncomfortable?” Yin Ren touched the point where flesh and hair met, as if caressing the most fragile silk. “I just don’t like it when you’re silent like this… This won’t do, Zhong Ge. If there’s any problem, you have to speak up for it to be resolved.”

With each word Yin Ren spoke, the strand of hair around Zhong Chengshuo’s throat tightened a bit more.

But Zhong Chengshuo remained silent.

Yin Ren’s pupils contracted. Zhong Chengshuo instinctively tensed his muscles, but the restraint around his neck didn’t tighten. In the next moment, the earth shook, and all the hair on Zhong Chengshuo’s body straightened, propelling him instantly a half step away from Yin Ren.

The closeness between the two disappeared, replaced by a half-step distance, allowing a clearer view of each other.

Zhong Chengshuo’s Adam’s apple slid as he voluntarily raised his head, meeting Yin Ren’s gaze. His heart thumped against his ribcage, and there was no sign of retreat in his eyes.

Zhong Chengshuo seemed to have turned into a true flesh puppet, completely sealed off, determined to defy Yin Ren’s demand for an answer.

The crimson light gradually intensified in Yin Ren’s eyes as the strands of hair wound tighter and deeper into Zhong Chengshuo’s flesh.

His limbs were imprisoned, making it difficult to maintain balance. Zhong Chengshuo simply straightened his back and unexpectedly bumped into the table. The table legs moved slightly, emitting a faint scraping sound.

Countless strands of hair crawled on his body like creeping vines, disheveling his once neat pajamas. The cold breeze passed over his exposed skin, and the delicate and warm entanglement made his head spin. Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t stay still, but as soon as he moved, his shirt almost slipped off.

Zhong Chengshuo had a tight and firm physique, with fair skin. In the moonlight, contrasted by the pitch-black hair and those lifeless eyes, his presence was as sharp as a blade, making people hold their breath.

Sensations continuously traveled through the strands of hair. This strange and powerful person was firmly held in his grasp, yet his skin felt so warm.

Yin Ren couldn’t help but move closer. This time, he didn’t act recklessly; instead, he cradled Zhong Chengshuo’s face with both hands. Zhong Chengshuo remained silent, but his eyes followed Yin Ren’s every movement, exuding the only hint of vitality.

“Do you know, I really like you.”

Yin Ren sighed softly. He gazed at those familiar eyes and affectionately brushed his fingertip over the corner of Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes.

“Having lived in the mortal world for hundreds of years, I thought I understood the ways of the world. But watching from the sidelines is completely different from experiencing it firsthand, being consumed by the flames. Before, I used to think it would be better if you weren’t a mortal… Then we could stay together for a long time, whether in peace or conflict, it would still be better than being rootless and adrift.”

“But now, I no longer think that way.”

Yin Ren lowered his hand and, through the strands of hair, caressed the spot where Zhong Chengshuo’s heart was. His extra pair of hands still rested on Zhong Chengshuo’s waist, and his beautiful face was now filled with a sinister air, almost devoid of Yin Ren’s original “human” aura.

“Now, I want you to be a mortal. I want to witness your life, your death. Your entire life held in my hands—wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Yin Ren rested his head on Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder. His action resembled that of an affectionate beast intertwining with its mate.

“Now, I am following my instincts by consuming you. It can be seen as fate, merging our blood and bones… But if I consume you, you won’t be able to speak to me anymore. Thinking about that, I hesitate.”

His lips pressed tightly against Zhong Chengshuo’s neck; his scorching breath touched the skin with each exhale, while his idle hand slowly brushed over Zhong Chengshuo’s chest and abdomen.

“But then again, I thought, if you never speak to me, it wouldn’t be any different from being consumed by me.” Yin Ren’s voice carried a cold, chilling smile. “Wouldn’t you agree, Zhong Ge?”

Once again, a horrifying silence fell over the living room.

“…Forget it, forget it.”

Yin Ren muttered. For a brief moment, Zhong Chengshuo even thought that this person had returned to normal.

“After all, I just ate the ‘Innocent Thoughts’ not long ago, so it’s only natural that you’re not accustomed and want to show some defiance. As long as you’re willing to make a sound today, I won’t eat you—”

Yin Ren released his grip on Zhong Chengshuo’s waist and abdomen, returning to his usual human form. He made a casual gesture, causing Zhong Chengshuo to stumble and fall onto the sofa, pulled by the strands of hair.

This time, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t hide his anger on his face. His mouth was tightly pursed, and his breathing became rapid.

Yin Ren remained calm and unaffected, while the strands of hair gently moved around Zhong Chengshuo. The eyeballs at the end of the hair transformed into familiar wings and flowed down to the ground.

Yin Ren approached as usual, embracing his stiff lover tightly. His fingers slipped into the gaps between the hair and skin, feeling the tension in the other’s muscles. He then commanded the hair to relax, capturing Zhong Chengshuo’s injured right hand and biting down on his fingertips.

His tongue was scorching hot as it lightly swept over the bloodstained fingers.

“I remember very clearly. Your finger bones are quite beautiful,” Yin Ren said softly. “If it doesn’t work out, I can keep a small part as a memento. Do you think it would be better as a ring or a necklace…?”

Before he finished speaking, Yin Ren suddenly chuckled.

“Ah, I thought you were really angry with me tonight. At least it would require some effort from me.”

Above their skin, Yin Ren’s hair and ten fingers moved together. His tone became much more relaxed, with a hint of cunning satisfaction.

“Zhong Ge, you seem quite interested after all.”

Yin Ren’s face was covered in shadows, leaving only his joyful, blood-red eyes. The aura of the Ghost King was entwined with desire, smelling like bone-chilling syrup. Zhong Chengshuo’s breathing became slightly more rapid.

Yin Ren leaned down, lazily resting on Zhong Chengshuo’s chest, and once again bit down on his lover’s knuckles. “How about we make a bet? Let’s bet on when you will make a sound for me—as for me, it will be before dawn.”

After saying that, he bit Zhong Chengshuo’s neck. Zhong Chengshuo groaned softly, feeling a burning pain on his neck.

Previously, Yin Ren liked to lightly bite, but this time his strength was terrifying. The skin was pierced instantly, and fresh blood gushed out. If this person hadn’t held back his strength, Zhong Chengshuo had no doubt that Yin Ren would have torn off that piece of skin without hesitation.

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t have time to react before the strands of hair on his limbs suddenly tightened, firmly securing him to the sofa.

“Oh, by the way, the wooden talisman is still nearby. Can’t have you picking it up,” Yin Ren said nonchalantly.

A few strands of hair wrapped around Zhong Chengshuo’s wrist, functioning like handcuffs, and also entangled Yin Ren’s wrist. Even if Zhong Chengshuo gained his freedom, he couldn’t move freely.

“As an extra precaution, I’m sure you can understand.” Yin Ren licked the blood off his teeth. “This way, there won’t be any problems.”

After saying that, he touched Zhong Chengshuo’s lips and sat down.

Zhong Chengshuo had experienced the stimulation of human desires before, but he had never mixed it with fear and oppression. Poison gas mixed with fragrant flowers, poisoned wine with excessive sugar. Various stimulations brewed into a strong acid, surging through his veins, corroding his heart with a hissing sound.

Every muscle in Zhong Chengshuo’s body tightened, and his entire nervous system trembled. He couldn’t help but lower his gaze, staring at his madly possessive lover.

Amidst the intense entanglement, Lord Ghost King’s eyes were half-closed, and his scorching gaze remained glued to the edge of Zhong Chengshuo’s lips. His hands lightly caressed Zhong Chengshuo’s chest, and a strand of hair consistently and steadily tightened around Zhong Chengshuo’s throat.

The sofa emitted regular vibrations from the weight, and Zhong Chengshuo’s fingers clenched and released, revealing a noticeable redness due to the restraints. Warm sweat mixed with a little blood flowed over the skin, blending into a shimmering light red. The pale red liquid seeped into Yin Ren’s black hair, eventually staining the soft sofa fabric.

Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t sense evil qi in the room, but he could feel the turbulent airflow stirred up by Evil Force. The withered green plants trembled incessantly, and the dried-up leaves fell lightly, making a soft sound.

He had never stepped into such a frenzy of sensations before, and for a moment, Zhong Chengshuo almost lost his sanity.

Only the clock in the living room dutifully continued to tick.

An hour passed, with bloodstains dotting the sofa and writhing clusters of wings scattered on the floor.

“I like you.” Yin Ren gasped, his scorching breath carrying a strong smell of blood.

He kissed Zhong Chengshuo’s lips, but the other’s mouth remained shut like a clam, showing no signs of cooperation.

“…I like you.” Despite this, Yin Ren repeated with a smile.

Two hours passed, and the moonlight was shrouded by dark clouds, leaving the interior nearly pitch-black. The two of them fell to the floor, knocking the coffee table askew. Yin Ren held Zhong Chengshuo tightly, like a drowning person clinging to the last piece of driftwood within their field of vision.

“I like you.”

Yin Ren’s fingertips brushed against the taut strands of hair, as if a musician were caressing the strings of a violin. At the end of the hair strands, Zhong Chengshuo’s hand intertwined with Yin Ren’s other hand, and his nails dug deeply into the other’s flesh.

“Answer me, please…”

Zhong Chengshuo remained silent, turning his head away.

……

In the late night, the crescent moon finally emerged from behind the dark clouds.

After a while, Yin Ren stopped demanding an answer. He only murmured vague words of love while his body trembled as he left bloody bite marks on Zhong Chengshuo’s body.

Zhong Chengshuo’s hands, bound by the hair, had already loosened slightly, no longer tightly clenched. His wrists were still tied to Yin Ren’s, restricting his freedom of movement.

“I can’t see through you, but I like the enigmatic you… If only you were a mortal, I could protect you as I pleased… But why do you treat me like this…”

There was no oppression, no hostility. In the faint scent of blood, Yin Ren’s whispers carried genuine sadness and confusion.

His fingertips swept over the oozing wounds, and in the pale moonlight, his eyes glistened with a hint of moisture.

“I like you. You must have noticed… Why did things have to escalate like this over a few mortals you don’t care about? I can’t understand…”

As another biting episode ended. Zhong Chengshuo could suddenly move his arm.

One moment, Yin Ren was immersed in his words of love. The next moment, he froze like a vigilant beast, immediately halting his actions.

In the unbearable stillness, Zhong Chengshuo stretched out his arm and lightly touched Yin Ren’s lips, then gently tapped his own.

His eyes remained dull, but there was a hint of helplessness and tenderness in Zhong Chengshuo’s expression. He didn’t even glance at the sofa where the wooden talisman was, instead, he focused his full attention on Yin Ren.

“Well, it seems like I’m going to win.” Yin Ren’s tone suddenly became cheerful, as if he had won a small game.

He leaned down once again, kissing Zhong Chengshuo’s lips.

With the smile of a victorious person, he licked the remaining bloodstained lips. Zhong Chengshuo didn’t tightly seal his lips this time. Instead, he tentatively extended his hand and held the back of Yin Ren’s head.

Yin Ren eagerly deepened the kiss, and Zhong Chengshuo tilted his head in response, cooperating with his lover’s movements. Yin Ren’s tongue ventured forward, but instead of encountering hard teeth or a soft tongue, it touched a warm, moist wooden object.

As soon as Zhong Chengshuo’s lips parted, a chilling and fierce power burst out from between his teeth.

It was the wooden rabbit talisman.

“Ugh!!!”

Yin Ren tried to dodge, but his head was forcefully held down by Zhong Chengshuo. The wooden rabbit talisman was pushed by Zhong Chengshuo’s tongue into Yin Ren’s mouth. Yin Ren’s hair stood on end—upon contact with the wooden talisman, the surroundings instantly became distorted and blurred, as if a liquid was constantly surging.

No, I’m disappearing!

In this crisis, Yin Ren had no time to think about whether he liked this state or not. He immediately released the spell of the “Innocent Thoughts”. As expected, as if the fog had dispersed, the familiar living room returned to normal clarity.

Yin Ren felt a moment of confusion, then met Zhong Chengshuo’s complex gaze.

Yin Ren: “…………”

Zhong Chengshuo: “…………”

Zhong Chengshuo watched as the expression in his lover’s eyes changed from confusion to horror, and then to explosive embarrassment. Yin Ren’s face turned almost the same color as his eyes, and he immediately gathered up his scattered hair, wanting to awkwardly get up—however, given their current intimate position, this movement was quite difficult.

So Zhong Chengshuo kindly reached out his hand and pressed down on Yin Ren, who wanted to slip away.

Yin Ren immediately made a muffled sound, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly. His body trembled slightly, and his face seemed to change like a kaleidoscope.

“This is… seduction!”

The dignified Lord Ghost King had long lost his previous air of dominance. He tried to take the initiative, but his confidence was clearly hollow.

“Zhong Chengshuo, how could your control plan be so… so—”

He couldn’t continue speaking.

“We are accomplices, and I had to choose a method you absolutely couldn’t anticipate.”

Zhong Chengshuo’s limbs had already regained their freedom, and his palm slid over the strands of hair soaked with sweat. The clusters of wings stiffened for a moment and then shrank into a ball. However, someone with a vengeful mindset held onto one of the clusters, kneading it gently.

“Well, umm…” Yin Ren sniffed and slowly pried Zhong Chengshuo’s hand away. “The experiment went quite smoothly, so let’s stop here… Uh!”

Zhong Chengshuo readily released the cluster of wing balls, but his hand returned to Yin Ren’s body.

“Well, um, the thing that I knocked away just now… um…”

“You can find out for yourself.”

Amidst the jolting, a strand of black hair wiggled and poked into the depths of the sofa. After a few minutes, it trembled as it hooked out a blood-stained pen cap. Looking at the table, there was still a pen lying on the surface—the very pen that Zhong Chengshuo had used for annotations just now.

Yin Ren’s mind had long been free from the distractions of uncontrollable affection, and he instantly understood this person’s intentions—

Zhong Chengshuo deliberately reduced communication and “sealed” the wooden talisman in his mouth. Then he used blood to stain the pen cap, impersonating the wooden talisman, and pretended to entice Yin Ren to knock it away.

Finally, all Zhong Chengshuo needed was to request a kiss in an atmosphere that wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

For the lightning-fast King Yama, even the magic tricks of mortals were no different from spells in his hands.

Truly cunning.

The entanglement was not yet over. In his gradually fading consciousness, Yin Ren made an effort to lower his body, burying his burning face in the nape of Zhong Chengshuo’s neck.

……

As the clock approached five in the morning, the two of them squeezed into Zhong Chengshuo’s bathtub. Yin Ren had half of his face submerged in the water, blowing bubbles with a melancholic expression.

“Are you sure you’re a Primordial Elemental and not a rabbit monster?” Yin Ren suddenly emerged from the water with a stern face. “Stop laughing. You’re just reveling in my misfortune.”

Zhong Chengshuo pointed to the numerous bite marks all over his body.

Yin Ren immediately deflated like a balloon, making a couple of deflated sounds as he gently touched the scabbing wounds. “I’m sorry. I’ll help you apply medicine later.”

“It’s okay. The wounds are shallow.” Zhong Chengshuo pinched a strand of Yin Ren’s hair—at the end of the hair, a small, withered wing hung limply, making it difficult to tell whether it was pretending to be lifeless or not.

“I… Even though I asked you to prepare in advance, to be honest, I didn’t expect it to turn out like that.”

Yin Ren hung his head in dejection; his entire being turned into the color of a thoroughly cooked crab, as if steam would come out from the top of his head.

“I thought that as long as I liked you so much, nothing bad would happen. That state was truly terrifying, like losing my mind and becoming fanatical.”

It was only because Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t affected by memory spells. Otherwise, Yin Ren would have wanted to erase all memories of tonight—regardless of whether they were in Zhong Chengshuo’s mind or his own.

Lord Ghost King was embarrassed to the point of wanting to dig a three-foot hole and sleep for another thousand years.

However, Zhong Chengshuo just calmly looked over, absentmindedly rubbing the little wing between his fingers. That pitiful soft wing trembled and almost dissolved into a squishy liquid.

“At least the experiment was successful, and our hypothesis was correct. The missing people are all of the type who rely on ‘love’ as their life support. Once it’s daylight, we’ll synchronize our findings. Maybe we can find a stable method to enter the Other Side.”

Zhong Chengshuo analyzed seriously while piling a ball of foam on top of Yin Ren’s head.

“For now, I don’t want to discuss this. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, for real this time,” Yin Ren weakly stated. “I won’t touch that thing even if you beat me to death next time. What kind of rotten idea did Hu Tao come up with…”

“It’s already ‘tomorrow’,” Zhong Chengshuo pointed out mercilessly.

This time, Yin Ren submerged his entire head underwater, exhaling bubbles filled with despair.

“Yin Ren.” Zhong Chengshuo continued observing Yin Ren as he continued to blow bubbles underwater and called out to him.

Yin Ren pretended not to hear and remained submerged, shutting himself off from the world.

“Yin Ren, come out. I have something to tell you,” Zhong Chengshuo urged.

Yin Ren finally resurfaced; his entire body was still pink from the water. When he spoke, there was a sense of resignation in his voice. “…Go ahead, tell me.”

“To be honest, I’ve been thinking today that maybe I don’t like you as much as I thought.” Zhong Chengshuo pushed aside the wet hair on Yin Ren’s face; his eyes still resembled two dry wells.

The pink hue on Yin Ren’s skin immediately faded, and he froze in place, gradually turning pale.

“But tonight, I realized that I actually like you more than I imagined,” Zhong Chengshuo continued, enunciating each word distinctly.

Then he opened his arms and, without waiting for Yin Ren’s reaction, embraced him. Their skins pressed against each other, and the water temperature was just right. Yin Ren was stunned for a few seconds before tightening his embrace.

“You did it on purpose,” he said, encircling Zhong Chengshuo’s neck and gently biting his ear.

This time, Yin Ren left only a faint mark.

A warm atmosphere filled the air once again, bringing a comforting tranquility. In this reassuring sense of fulfillment, Zhong Chengshuo closed his eyes.

“You won,” Zhong Chengshuo whispered softly. “You bet that I would make a sound for you before dawn, and you won.”

“…Please, spare me, Zhong Ge. I’m begging you, don’t bring that up again,” Yin Ren pleaded, pressing his forehead against Zhong Chengshuo’s, feeling utterly embarrassed. He even submerged himself completely in the water again.

Zhong Chengshuo leaned against Yin Ren’s forehead, unable to contain his laughter any longer. The latter, filled with both anger and humiliation, lowered himself, allowing the water to completely submerge him.

Watching Yin Ren’s powerless and wriggling hair, Zhong Chengshuo closed his eyes.

He still remembered the scene when he first obtained the pill.

After receiving the clues provided by Hu Tao, he immediately searched for information. “Innocent Thoughts” was a metaphysical prescription that had emerged in recent years. It could make people lose their sanity, lose interest in food and drink, and fill their minds with adoration for the target. This thing wasn’t really popular. According to the seller, most buyers were infatuated men and women who used this medication for revenge. There were also a few “black widows” and “black widowers” who used it to control wealthy elderly people.

Thinking about it, there were no normal couples in love buying these things.

Zhong Chengshuo, in fact, found this somewhat perplexing.

Experiencing a very pure emotion firsthand, wasn’t it a good thing? If it weren’t for him being unaffected by these metaphysical items, Zhong Chengshuo would have loved to experience that feeling of “pure love” himself.

At that moment, the two of them were flying in the air. Zhong Chengshuo looked at Yin Ren’s face. In the next moment, Yin Ren seemed to sense his gaze and playfully narrowed his eyes at him.

However, Zhong Chengshuo’s mood wasn’t as relaxed as it seemed.

He did care about Yin Ren. When they were apart, he would worry, and when they were together, he would long to touch him. Being together made his emotions lighter and brighter than before.

But it was only limited to that.

Compared to the probing and underlying currents before they got together, now that they were truly sharing their lives and meals; seemingly everything was somewhat mundane. Especially since Yin Ren was skilled in navigating social interactions and had a sense of propriety, they rarely had sharp conflicts.

Zhong Chengshuo was certain that he liked Yin Ren a lot.

He was the first person Zhong Chengshuo reached out to in the vast emptiness; the first of his kind that he encountered during these lonely years in the mortal realm.

But was his liking a genuine expression of love, or had he mistaken their prolonged intimacy as adoration?

He couldn’t feel the fervent love described in those narratives. Previously, Zhong Chengshuo claimed not to care about these “meaningless” details, but recently, with the unrest in the outside world, he couldn’t stop his thoughts.

“Zhong Chengshuo, why do I feel like you’re somewhat enjoying this situation?” Yin Ren had asked when he was about to take the pill.

At that time, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t answer Yin Ren.

In truth, he wasn’t enjoying it, but rather, he had a slight desire to try it. “Innocent Thoughts” wouldn’t blindly stimulate love but rather remove other emotions and purify the purest feelings. Only then would everything become clear. With a definite result, he wouldn’t have to worry so much.

Yin Ren was different from him. He firmly believed that he would be affected by uncontrollable love, but he had no concerns about the nature of their own relationship.

How did Yin Ren determine what “like” meant?

As for himself? Would he be like he was a thousand years ago, merely assuming an innocent facade and using that person to achieve his own goals? …If Yin Ren were to be replaced by another strong and compatible person, would he also “fall in love” with them?

Now he had an answer.

Uncontrolled Yin Ren was just as strong and acted in harmony with him. If Zhong Chengshuo wanted, he could also calmly cooperate with Yin Ren. However, as he looked at Yin Ren in that state, his heart was filled with a hollow emptiness and an indescribable sadness.

Zhong Chengshuo gently tousled Yin Ren’s hair.

“How about having lamb rice noodles?”

“Yes!” Yin Ren immediately resurfaced from the water and instinctively exclaimed, only to realize afterward. “Wait, didn’t you only cook one serving?”

“I just overcooked the soup. The rice noodles don’t need to be cooked for too long.”

Zhong Chengshuo rested his chin on Yin Ren’s shoulder, carefully feeling his body temperature.

“I’ll add some more meat and eggs. It’ll be perfect for breakfast.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Yin Ren took a deep breath, deciding to put this unbearable night behind him.

Anyway, they had found the cause of the disappearances, and it was worth exchanging his embarrassment for such valuable information. Besides… Although he lost control, tonight’s experience was still quite thrilling and exciting. He did feel sorry for Zhong Chengshuo, who ended up with marks all over his body from his biting.

Thinking about this, Yin Ren shook his head vigorously, hoping to shake off the overwhelming shame in his mind.

Zhong Chengshuo’s special lamb soup must have been stewed for a long time, and it must be delicious. A bowl of warm and tasty lamb rice noodles would help put the past behind!

Unable to dodge in time, Zhong Chengshuo, whose face was splashed with water: “……”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Oh, by the way, there’s one more thing. I thought it was necessary to let you know.”

“What is it?”

“To ensure a complete record, I used an anti-evil qi recording pen to capture the audio from last night.” Zhong Chengshuo maintained a solemn expression. “Do you want to listen to it?”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

In the morning, amidst the sound of the audio alarm clock saying, “Is work more important than me?” Yin Ren, who usually liked to sleep in, jolted up as if he was blasted. A few sob-like sounds escaped his throat.

When he went to Shian today, he should also ask about “how to make a science post forget”.

……

“Well, your information is very useful.”

Li Nian pretended not to notice the bite marks on Zhong Chengshuo’s collar that couldn’t be concealed.

“If your conjecture is correct, the victims won’t be in immediate danger. I will start a project on my end to find a way to “stably disappear” and quickly establish a pathway.”

“How long will it take?” Yin Ren coughed dryly twice.

“According to Minister Jiao, if we only consider constructing the pathway, it will take five days. Finding a safe method for round trips is the more time-consuming part.”

“…I see.”

Yin Ren contemplated for a moment.

“Great, you guys keep up with the research. As for us… well, since we have nothing better to do, let’s go check on those who haven’t disappeared.”

After all, Qi Xin had promised them that if Yin Ren could kill Mr. Le, they could officially establish cooperation with her.

Yin Ren wasn’t sure about the intentions of the Primordial Elementals, and although he wanted to rescue Lu Xiaohe’s missing mother, he didn’t want to involve Zhong Chengshuo in any danger. Qi Xin’s original form should still be on the Other Side and having a “local” to assist would be better than stumbling around blindly.

“Besides, the police station has been overwhelmed recently, and they happen to be short-staffed.”

At some point, Fu Xingchuan appeared leaning against the doorway. He held some documents, and his tone wasn’t as relaxed as usual.

“You’ve been in contact with Officer Sun before. He’s currently dealing with a live burial case, and the atmosphere in Haigu has been off lately. It would be better for you to go and take a look.”

“No problem.”

Yin Ren responded quickly. It was like being offered a pillow when feeling sleepy; he was actually looking for an excuse to investigate a “non-disappearance case”.

“We’ll go today.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 191: Shelf Life

Zhong Chengshuo stood in the kitchen, holding a slotted spoon, and for the first time in his life, he had serious doubts.

Since Yin Ren brought up the issue in the taxi, he hadn’t uttered a word. The moment he returned home, he opened the refrigerator door. Lord Ghost King leaned against the refrigerator partition with a deep gaze and focused on the inside of the refrigerator.

Zhong Chengshuo tied on his apron as usual, which had “Dangerous Person” written on it. Only now did he realize that someone had added an extra stroke to the apron, changing “Dangerous Person” to “Big Shot”*.

*Yin Ren added a line across (人) in person (人物) changing it to (大) Beast (大物) (transliteral would be “big thing”).

“……”

He glanced at Yin Ren, who was intimately close to the refrigerator, and silently adjusted the modified apron. He decided to make a lamb stew. Thirty minutes later, Zhong Chengshuo’s foam had been skimmed off ninety-nine times, but Yin Ren still had his head in the refrigerator. The aroma of the lamb drifted into the living room, but it didn’t seem to affect him.

Finally unable to bear it any longer, Zhong Chengshuo covered the stew pot and walked over to Yin Ren. Mimicking Yin Ren’s movements, he leaned forward and rested his chin on the refrigerator partition.

It was cool, but nothing special. Lately, they hadn’t been at home much, and the eggs were no longer fresh. Zhong Chengshuo’s gaze swept over rows of ingredients as he quickly calculated in his mind.

Two grown men squeezed in front of the refrigerator, creating a scene that defied description.

To the point that when Hu Tao happily crawled back to the living room, she let out a high-pitched scream. Only then did Yin Ren snap out of his daze and tilt his head slightly. “What are you doing?”

“Just see if you’ve noticed anything.”

Amidst the bubbling sound of the stew, Zhong Chengshuo focused on the inside of the refrigerator.

“…” Yin Ren pulled his head back and reached for two bottles of soda. “Let’s go to the sofa.”

Hu Tao looked at the two seemingly insane people, while floating silently on the ceiling. Yin Ren glanced at her, unusually not shooing her away. He squeezed onto one end of the sofa and made room for Zhong Chengshuo. “Come.”

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t even bother taking off his apron. He obediently sat cross-legged on the other end.

“Based on your current conjecture, the Other Side is like the ‘internet’ composed of the brains of countless organisms. The Elementals are like ‘programmatic’ creatures living within it. They have their own food chain and their own feeding criteria.”

Yin Ren struggled to make an analogy.

Zhong Chengshuo held the soda bottle tightly in his hands and nodded silently. On the other hand, Hu Tao’s expression became even more bewildered, and her neck was about to twist ninety degrees.

“One thing you mentioned earlier caught my attention. You said that human emotions can’t be used as a benchmark.” Yin Ren shook the soda bottle.

Zhong Chengshuo nodded more vigorously.

Yin Ren no longer leaned against the sofa. He leaned forward and placed the soda in front of Zhong Chengshuo.

It was apple juice soda that he specifically bought. Zhong Chengshuo didn’t like these overly industrialized products, whereas Yin Ren was the opposite. After negotiations between the two Primordial Elementals, they finally reached a certain consensus, compromising between taste and health.

The transparent bottle was adorned with vibrant packaging paper, and the ingredients were relatively simple and healthy. However, the shelf life was longer than that of freshly squeezed juice.

Yin Ren turned the side with the shelf life information towards Zhong Chengshuo. “Since human conditions cannot be used as a benchmark, why don’t we just forget about those subtle standards of love and affection… What if we look at it from the perspective of a Primordial Elemental?”

Zhong Chengshuo’s gaze was blank for a moment, then gradually became sharper. The next second, he turned his head to look at the refrigerator.

The refrigerator stood silently in its place, emitting an almost inaudible hum.

“Human bodies can be preserved for a longer time on the Other Side. When Gao Mengyu disappeared for a few weeks initially, she was just a little weak when she was rescued,” Zhong Chengshuo muttered to himself, holding the chilled beverage. “This is physical preservation.”

“But according to Jiao Lian, the human mind can’t last for long on the Other Side. Even strong-willed individuals will go insane after spending too much time there. Those people turned into furniture by Bai Yongji didn’t remain clear-minded for long.”

Yin Ren shook the soda in his hand, causing countless bubbles to escape from the juice.

“Even madmen have emotions, but it’s hard to determine the category of those emotions, right? Even if the body can be preserved, the quality of food will deteriorate. If it were me, I would want chilled soda—with a long shelf life and a consistent taste.”

But that was all he could think of. Yin Ren knew he had grasped the right clue, but he always felt like he missed something.

Zhong Chengshuo suddenly got up from the sofa. He quickly dashed into the bedroom and soon came back, holding his tablet in his hand.

“These are the people who didn’t meet the ‘good personality’ criteria.”

He directly grabbed Yin Ren and swiftly scrolled through the screen.

Several small gangsters had poor reputations, but they all had a peculiar commonality—

They only had one family member left.

Young siblings, parents with only one person remaining, or lone grandparents.

That street vendor, who was infamous for being stingy, worked from dawn until night, earning money for her deaf daughter’s surgery.

They also met the criteria of “love”.

“According to what you said, it’s indeed possible that it has nothing to do with the intensity of love,” Zhong Chengshuo said softly, sliding his fingertip across the screen. It stopped at the profile of Lu Xiaohe’s mother, “He Huan”.

“If it’s for the sake of ‘shelf life’, then all of this makes sense. Yin Ren, you thought I was dead. During that time, would you have gone crazy or wanted to die?”

“Huh?” Yin Ren was taken aback. “I just wanted to find your body, maybe go into seclusion for a few hundred years while holding you. But if you’re talking about really going crazy or wanting to die, I…”

“I would still live my life well, but I would always remember you.” Yin Ren pondered for a moment and gave a firm reply.

He really was past the age of <Romeo and Juliet>, so he wouldn’t go crazy or die for love on the spot. What was going on? Could it be that he wasn’t chosen by the wooden talisman because his mind wasn’t consumed by love?

“You like me, but I’m not your ‘main reason to keep living’. You have much more experience than me, so you’re not that naive. Someone like you, if trapped on the Other Side, it wouldn’t necessarily be ‘love’ that supports you.”

Yin Ren pondered and couldn’t deny it.

Once thrown into the Other Side, he couldn’t say for sure if he would be one-third curious, one-third sorrowful, and one-third longing for Zhong Chengshuo, with the remaining reminiscing about various modern delicacies.

Zhong Chengshuo nodded.

“But these people are different.”

“The lives of these gangsters are a mess, and their loved ones are their only concern. That street vendor sacrificed her own life in exchange for her child’s health… Lu Xiaohe’s mother is seriously ill, and her concern for her child is her greatest support. Zhong Chengfeng truly loves her work and life; her faith comes from her love for ‘others’.”

“Huang Jin is even easier to explain. He had genuinely sought death. When Ding Lizi pulled him back, she, in a certain sense, became his obsession.”

Yin Ren’s eyes lit up as he tightly gripped the bottle. “That’s it! If these people were trapped on the Other Side, what would keep them clear-minded is undoubtedly intense ‘love’—long shelf life, high purity, perfect food.”

Zhong Chengshuo placed his tablet aside and picked up his bottle of apple soda, tapping it against Yin Ren’s bottle.

“Yes,” Zhong Chengshuo said as he adjusted his glasses. “But so far, it’s just speculation.”

“Indeed, but it can only be tested with different people, which is also difficult to verify.” Yin Ren deflated quickly.

“…Boring, I thought you were going to say something else.” Hu Tao’s voice echoed faintly from the ceiling.

“In the end, it’s still about the case; not exciting at all. Xiao Yin, come on, find something interesting for Sister to watch. It’s time for a break.”

“This case is quite important.” Yin Ren opened the juice and took a sip. The aroma of apples instantly filled his mouth, bringing a sense of refreshment.

“Huh? Is that how you put it?” Hu Tao floated closer, wearing a gossipy expression. “What case? What case? Can I go on a business trip? You haven’t called us recently.”

“Missing people case, which is likely related to the disappearance cases from twenty-eight… twenty-nine years ago.” Faced with Hu Tao, who had a contract with him, Yin Ren didn’t bother hiding it.

A peculiar expression of curiosity froze on Hu Tao’s face and her complexion turned somewhat grim.

“Oh, the cases from twenty-nine years ago.” Her tone was cheerful but slightly peculiar. “Those should be thoroughly investigated.”

After saying that, she brushed aside her overgrown bangs, and her dim eyes locked onto Yin Ren.

“Uh, I don’t really understand the Other Side and all, but if you want to obtain ‘intense love’, I might have a way.”

……

Dawn at the Haigu Public Security Bureau.

“Hey sweetie, Dad won’t be coming home tonight.” Officer Sun sent a voice message to his daughter, then vigorously scratched his head at his desk.

Since Shian mentioned “a little trouble,” there had been many challenging cases in Haigu. The cases themselves weren’t particularly sensational and solving them wasn’t difficult. The trouble lay in the fact that these cases always sparked a significant amount of online public opinion.

Several unemployed young individuals anonymously posted criminal threats online, then proceeded to splash sulfuric acid on fashionable girls in the city center. Another aimless hoodlum lurked in the commercial district alley and slit the throat of a young boss.

Nighttime assaults, random arson, homemade bomb injuries… one crime after another, all indiscriminate.

Although the cases were solved, the impact they brought couldn’t dissipate quickly. The negative influence didn’t diminish; instead, it grew larger. Just as they apprehended the inept acid-splashing imitator, another person emerged on the streets, slashing people. Seeing the situation gradually worsen, the pressure from higher-ups also increased significantly.

Officer Sun forcefully rubbed his face, feeling as if he had aged ten years.

“Everyone’s gone mad.”

He wearily patted the case files, unsure of what to do.

Compared to these inexplicable cases, previous incidents of bloody street brawls and domestic violence seemed “ordinary.” Judging by recent public opinion, many people no longer regarded the previous cases of harm to acquaintances as a big deal.

Not to mention that some cases were “contagious”. Allowing them to spread freely, causing panic and imitation. However, if the information was tightly controlled, suspicions of “covering up” would arise. Given the current state of public opinion, no matter what they did, people would find fault with it.

Unfortunately, the police force had been stretched thin recently, with each officer essentially doing the work of two. Officer Sun felt a throbbing pain in his head, and the cursor on his computer had been blinking after the word “proposal” for half an hour, yet not a single word had been written.

“This can’t go on. If we don’t handle it properly, who knows what Haigu will become…”

Officer Sun took a sip of strong tea, a tinge of blue appearing in his eyes.

“Lao Sun, something’s happened!”

Officer Sun almost choked on his tea, still halfway through drinking.

“What happened? Tell me!”

“There’s an incident at Haigu Junior High. A young girl was buried alive!” Another officer gasped for breath. “When she was found, she was still breathing and was rushed to the municipal hospital for treatment… Regardless of whether it’s murder or attempted murder, it’s our case.”

Officer Sun grabbed a handful of his hair and pounded it against the thick stack of case files.

“Damn it!”

At the same time, a red dot appeared in the upper right corner of his WeChat.

[Let Me See Your Heart: Dad, it’s alright. I can’t come back either. There are patients to save.]

[Let Me See Your Heart: One of my previous patients, a girl with congenital heart disease, claims she was buried alive.]

[Let Me See Your Heart: This is absolutely insane!]

Well, at least he could see his daughter.

Officer Sun stood up and put on his leather jacket. Just as he was about to leave, he paused and grabbed a handful of chocolate candies from the drawer.

……

Between his fingertips, Yin Ren held something resembling a chocolate candy with a complicated expression that was extremely delicate.

“…Is this progress in society? No, is this even considered progress?”

Sitting upright on the couch, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t answer him.

“I’ve heard from the Nightwalkers that it’s guaranteed to work,” Hu Tao assured, patting her chest. “It doesn’t harm the body, and apparently, it tastes good too.”

“Oh.” Yin Ren continued to observe the chocolate-like substance. “Safety certification from Shian is unquestionable, while certification from Sunken Society is undoubtedly problematic. As for what the Nightwalkers can certify, that’s truly a mystery. No one knows how effective it will be.”

This was the “intense love” that Miss Hu Tao highly recommended.

Following the instructions of this formidable Miss Hu Tao, the two of them went to the Ghost Market at night. They used up half of Yin Ren’s savings to buy a single pill. Considering the need to keep the progress of their investigation as discreet as possible, they probably couldn’t submit a reimbursement for this item.

Gazing at the object, Yin Ren felt a strange mixture of gain and loss in his emotions.

The Nightwalkers gave it an elegant name, “Innocent Thoughts”. But according to Zhong Chengshuo’s summary, it was more like a “rationality-evaporating agent”. Unlike those “aphrodisiacs” that primarily targeted physical attraction, this potion was mainly used for psychological attraction.

In Hu Tao’s words, it could turn anyone into a youth brimming with vitality, consumed by the desire to live and die for love. While the user’s fondness for the object of their affection wouldn’t actually skyrocket, all other emotions, thoughts… even morals and principles would vanish.

Theoretically, the effect of this substance was permanent. For Lord Ghost King, it would take a minute to erase its magical influence. However, erasing aside, the process… there had to be a process.

The hand holding the pill trembled slightly. Zhong Chengshuo innocently blinked his eyes while his face was still expressionless.

“You were previously worried that your level of love wasn’t enough, so this will allow you to experience it,” Zhong Chengshuo said sincerely.

“You also said before that we didn’t need to use human emotions as a benchmark.” Yin Ren frowned and retorted. “Would anyone really give this thing to someone they liked? I think it’s more suitable for poisoning enemies.”

He really wanted to stuff it into Wei Huaqian’s mouth from Sunken Society, which seemed more useful.

The chocolate coating on the pill began to melt, but Yin Ren kept it far away from his mouth.

“You tested it on yourself before, so it will serve as a very useful reference. As long as we can gather data, our hypothesis can be properly verified,” Zhong Chengshuo said with a touch of earnestness in his tone.

Lord Ghost King sneered twice. “Zhong Chengshuo, why do I feel like you’re reveling in someone else’s misfortune?”

Zhong Chengshuo slowly turned his head, not answering.

Whether he advanced or retreated, he would still be in danger. As Yin Ren leisurely brought the pill to his lips, Zhong Chengshuo quickly turned his head back, and his eyes shined with curiosity.

This person rarely showed such vivid emotions. ‘If only this was in a different situation, that would be great,’ Yin Ren thought sorrowfully.

In the cozy living room, the two of them silently locked gazes. A desolate atmosphere lingered around Yin Ren, carrying a chilling sensation reminiscent of a cold river.

“This is a metaphysical item. It won’t work if I consume it,” Zhong Chengshuo heartlessly added.

“I know. I’ll take it. I’ll take it… Damn it, can this count as a work-related injury?”

Yin Ren’s throat choked with two sobs, and with his mouth open, he swallowed the pill the size of a malted milk ball.

Hu Tao floated in the air without moving, while Zhong Chengshuo sat on the couch like a stiff statue. Yin Ren stood in the center of the living room. His head was slightly bowed, and his long hair casually cascaded. After a long while, Yin Ren made a move. He slowly raised his face, but there was no obvious change in his expression.

“Is that it?” Hu Tao was greatly disappointed. “This thing cost nearly a hundred thousand yuan. What a waste of money.”

Unfortunately, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t hear her complaints. He simply stared at Yin Ren, waiting for his reaction.

“No special reaction, huh?” After observing Zhong Chengshuo for quite some time, Yin Ren finally opened his mouth, sounding as if he had let out a sigh of relief. “It’s getting late. Let’s go to sleep.”

Zhong Chengshuo took out the wooden rabbit talisman. “Let’s test it first…”

“Why test it?” Yin Ren lightly said, “It’s already so late. You should pay attention to your health and not sleep so late.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “But—”

“Let’s sleep.” Yin Ren instantly teleported and appeared in front of Zhong Chengshuo. He held Zhong Chengshuo’s hands and smiled like a gentle spring breeze. “We can talk tomorrow.”

His crimson eyes sparkled in the lamplight, and Yin Ren’s tone carried a hint of the commanding authority typical of an elder. His hair gradually entwined around Zhong Chengshuo’s limbs, gently but irresistibly pulling him down onto the couch.

It was Yin Ren’s face, Yin Ren’s voice, but it didn’t feel like Yin Ren.

Those eyes were tender and fervent, yet apart from an overwhelming sense of love, there was nothing else.

Zhong Chengshuo never expected that even now, he could experience the uncanny valley effect with his lover. Instinctively, Zhong Chengshuo tightened his grip on the couch, feeling goosebumps rising on his back.

“What’s wrong?”

Bending down, Yin Ren raised one leg, knelt on the couch, and opened his arms, enveloping Zhong Chengshuo entirely.

“Aren’t you sleepy?” Yin Ren asked, then lightly kissed the corner of Zhong Chengshuo’s mouth.

Zhong Chengshuo blankly glanced at the empty living room. He had never longed for a little clairvoyance as much as he did now. After all, Miss Hu Tao was at least a teammate. At this moment, he could only struggle to hide himself within the couch. If it weren’t for the resilience of human bones, he would have wished to flatten himself like a pancake on the couch.

“Why are you hiding?”

Yin Ren furrowed his brows slightly, opened his mouth a little, revealing relatively sharp canine teeth. The tip of Yin Ren’s finger touched Zhong Chengshuo’s skin. It was a rough and warm sensation, but it sent shivers down Zhong Chengshuo’s spine.

“Yin Ren, I don’t like this.”

He nestled further into the couch.

“According to the plan, we need to gather data,” Zhong Chengshuo dryly stated.

“It’s just a few mortals. If they die, they die. They wouldn’t have lived long anyway,” Yin Ren casually replied. “Tomorrow, I’ll resume my normal work. I’ve already shown them some face… Now that you and I understand the situation, we don’t need to worry about them.”

He held Zhong Chengshuo tightly, as if hugging a large doll.

Zhong Chengshuo dared not move.

“Well… if you’re worried, we can hide your parents in a safe place. Then we can find a way to cause some trouble on the Other Side and look for Zhong Chengfeng. In this way, you can fulfill the wish, and then we can do whatever we want.”

Yin Ren chatted casually as his fingertip traced back and forth on Zhong Chengshuo’s tender neck.

“Do you like this plan?”

Zhong Chengshuo, always honest, replied, “I don’t like it. I’d rather test the data right now.”

It was simply terrifying. In this moment, he fully agreed with Yin Ren’s viewpoint. Such a cursed object should be used to poison enemies.

Zhong Chengshuo wanted to break free, but he didn’t want to attack Yin Ren. He could only forcefully shrink his head, attempting to squeeze out of Yin Ren’s embrace.

Yin Ren sat still on the couch, gradually revealing a deeply hurt expression.

“You used to be so indifferent to the mortal world.” He looked at Zhong Chengshuo in disbelief, his tone filled with sadness. “Do you consider work more important than me?”

“Hahaha!” Hu Tao couldn’t help but burst into laughter, rolling in the air. “Why didn’t I record this with my phone?”

Before Hu Tao could finish laughing, a beam of light grazed her ear, and the residual aura of magic was bone-chilling, carrying a warning from top to bottom. It felt as if something was gripping her throat, and Hu Tao’s laughter abruptly ceased.

In panic, she swiftly flew to the next room, not even staying for half a second.

“And you, what’s your answer?”

Yin Ren turned his face again, looking at Zhong Chengshuo, who seemed to want to stick himself to the wallpaper.

“Why don’t you want to go to the Other Side together? Is Shian really that important to you?” Yin Ren expressed with sadness. “Ah, I remember now. You even covered Huang Jin with a blanket… Do you really like him?”

After speaking, a faint killing intent actually emanated from Yin Ren’s surroundings.

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you answering?” Yin Ren continued, “Forget it. It doesn’t matter. I will make him disappear. I know your personality. It definitely wouldn’t be your fault.”

As Yin Ren spoke, he laughed again.

His smile had never appeared so much like an “Evil Spirit”.

“You’re acting so unusual today; you must be too tired. Am I right? Let’s discuss it again tomorrow morning…”

Zhong Chengshuo took a deep breath and opened his arms. “Yin Ren.”

“Hmm?”

“Hug me,” Zhong Chengshuo said while hiding the wooden talisman in his sleeve and trying to maintain a calm expression.

Yin Ren’s eyes curved, and he walked gracefully towards Zhong Chengshuo. But just one step away from Zhong Chengshuo, he stopped.

“What are you hiding in your sleeve?” he asked gently. “Could it be that you want to use that wooden talisman to send me to the Other Side?”

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The author has something to say:

The vixen Hu Tao: ?

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