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墨書 Inktalez
I was sweating profusely in the palm of my hand, knowing that it was my first time stealing in front of a Grim Reaper, and this Grim Reaper could destroy my soul in an instant.
“Burp—”
He let out a drunken belch, and the scent of Red Spider Lily filled the air. Even without drinking, I felt a bit dizzy. I closed my eyes to steady myself, and when I opened them again, I found that he had completely fallen asleep.
“Lianchi? Shameless Scoundrel?”
I called out a few times, then mustered my courage to slap him, but there was no response. I quickly took off the badge at my waist. Without looking back, I lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.
Outside was a pitch-black void. Not knowing what else to do, I just jumped down. As I landed, it felt as if the ground had an irresistible pull, grabbing my feet and dragging me down swiftly. The speed was so fast that I couldn't even scream; soon enough, I fell into a cool and familiar embrace.
“Jun Chong? Mmm.”
Surrounded by darkness where I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, my lips were met with a deadly allure and provocation. The suffocating sensation overwhelmed me, filling my mind completely.
In the embrace that separated us were hurried breaths filled with regret and remorse. Though I couldn't see his expression clearly, I could sense the displeasure in his eyes.
“I almost couldn’t help but want to kill him just now!” Jun Chong gritted his teeth, a chilling aura swirling around us. “From now on, he’s not allowed to touch a single hair on your head; otherwise, I'll definitely kill him!”
“So Jun Chong, are you jealous?” Once I understood, I grinned widely and hugged him tightly. “If you treat me badly in the future, I'll just seduce Male Ghost; all the Grim Reapers here are quite handsome!”
“Do you believe I would do something to you right here?”
Jun Chong narrowed his eyes dangerously. A shiver ran through me—not from the cold but because his hand had already slipped under my skirt; one wrong move and I'd be exposed.
“Well, I've got the badge now; let’s hurry to find Shizui! If he finds out late, it’ll be terrible; we can’t drag Fragrant Blossom Pavilion into this.”
Jun Chong finally took out a black cloak and draped it over my shoulders, fastening the ties for me. "When we get there, I'll pretend to be your servant. You just need to present the token."
"Okay." The night wind was a bit strong, and Jun Chong helped me put on the hood. "Where are we headed?"
"To the camp in North City. We need the Reaper's waist token to enter."
"So you knew that Lianchi and the others would be coming today? Their goal is to seize the token?"
"Yes."
Jun Chong wasn't lying, which made me feel a bit uneasy. I had thought he wanted me to wear such beautiful clothes simply because he liked them, but it turned out his purpose was just to lure Lianchi.
Unaware of my thoughts, Jun Chong wrapped an arm around me and moved forward at a swift pace. "Rong Zhi can't come out of the camp for some reason, so we have to go find him. We need to return the token before dawn; otherwise, if he discovers it, it will involve Fragrant Blossom Pavilion. Tomorrow is the Courtesan competition, and Fragrant Blossom Pavilion must win."
"Why?"
"You should know from Little Bugs that the winner will enter Underworld Palace to serve the King of Hell. I've arranged for a ghost to go in and investigate the situation in Underworld Palace."
"Who did you arrange to go in?"
Since we were already quite close to North City—the camp was not far from its west side—we arrived shortly. Jun Chong set me down and adjusted the Human Skin Mask on his face. "Stunning."
"Stunning?" I murmured the name, suddenly recalling, "Is she the Earthbound Spirit from Picturesque?"
"Yes. She is extraordinarily beautiful, one of the rarest among ghosts."
That was true; Stunning was the most beautiful female ghost I had ever seen. If she were human, she would undoubtedly be among the most beautiful as well. In choosing a Courtesan, looks played a significant role.
"We've arrived."
I saw that the surroundings were pitch black, surrounded by iron bars that seemed to stretch endlessly. Two Grim Reapers stood outside, motionless. Swallowing hard, I walked over and took out Lianchi's badge.
The two Reapers glanced at it and said nothing, simply stepping aside. So, Jun Chong and I swaggered in. As soon as I entered, I nearly stumbled; fortunately, Jun Chong caught me. Looking closely, I realized this was no path at all—right in front of me was a bottomless cliff.
Moreover, the environment inside was not as dark as it appeared from outside. Strange rock formations surrounded us, with countless cliffs and not a blade of grass in sight. Red streams flowed down grooves from the Mountain, and the ground beneath my feet was covered in a liquid that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be writhing shadows.
Many black shadows floated in the sky, emitting a series of screams that rose and fell like waves.
I covered my ears with my hands, my head pounding painfully. Frowning, I asked, "What is that sound? It’s so unbearable!"
"Those are Wailing Ghosts. Just hang in there; once we go down, you won't hear them anymore."
Jun Chong held me tightly and leaped off the cliff. The sound of wind howled past my ears, stinging my skin painfully.
"Why is this desolate place called a camp?"
"A ghost must come here to train to become a Reaper. After passing the trials, they can enter the Yamen and become a Reaper. Those who fail turn into wisps of Soul. The black shadows you see are ghosts who failed the trials, and the red streams beneath us are their Souls. These will eventually decay and become fertilizer for the Red Spider Lily."
I felt a chill run down my spine. "Then how did Shizui end up here?"
"He was injured; this place is suitable for healing, so he can't leave for now."
"Injured? How could someone so powerful get hurt?"
"The one who injured him has power over him; it's said to be a newly appointed Reaper." Jun Chong frowned. "I heard from Mu Yan that his name seems to be Qin Ling."
I froze completely as Jun Chong safely set me down. Only then did I realize we were standing on an ocean of Red Spider Lilies, a sea of vibrant red stretching endlessly before us.
"Are you sure his name is Qin Ling?"
Jun Chong lowered his head and glanced sideways. "Do you know?"
I nodded, tugging at his clothing as we walked forward. "Earlier today, when I was with Little Bugs and we encountered Lianchi, we saw him. Just now, Lianchi escorted us out of the city; he should be around."
"I didn't see him," Jun Chong paused before adding, "I was disguised as a follower walking beside the carriage, so I didn't notice the person you mentioned. What do they look like?"
"The Red-Clad Reaper. You didn’t see him?" I thought that color of clothing would be hard to miss! "He looks exactly like Molin."
Jun Chong stopped in his tracks, his flat brows slightly furrorwed. "There’s more than one Red-Clad Reaper that Lianchi brought, but I didn’t pay attention to the others; maybe they were ahead."
"That’s definitely a possibility." I nodded. "He looks very much like Molin, but somehow feels completely different from him. Yet, I can’t shake the feeling that they are related. Do you think Molin's temper back then could have led to this current situation?"
"No." Jun Chong dismissed the idea. "I asked Taotie; he said that although Molin was irritable at the time, he was clear-headed and would recover in a day or two. So we all guessed wrong; there must have been another reason for Molin boarding the Ghost Bus. It’s a pity Half-Demon is dead; now no one knows the truth."
"Maybe I will."
Ahead, we entered a small cave where I saw Shizui dressed in a black fitted outfit, her waist-length hair casually cascading down, with a few strands falling over her face, alluring and captivating.
"Shizui, how are you?"
I ran over from Jun Chong's side and looked at her pale face, her lips devoid of color.
Shizui smiled faintly at me. "I'm fine; I just can't go out lately and need some time to heal."
Jun Chong strolled over, glanced at Shizui's condition, and asked one question: "Who hurt you?"
Shizui paused, slowly pressing her lips together as if struggling with something. I asked in confusion, "Wasn't it that newly appointed Reaper?"
Jun Chong scoffed coldly. "He’s the first Rakshasa; if he can’t even handle a single Red-Clad Reaper, then he doesn’t deserve that title. Tell me who ambushed you from behind—speak!"
A single word, cold and piercing, yet a commanding presence that brooked no refusal, left Shizui with no choice.
I felt some concern for Shizui, but Jun Chong was determined to get answers. Finally, Shizui sighed and quietly said, "The Lord."
"Just as I thought!" Jun Chong gritted his teeth, stepping forward to pull me away from Shizui. He raised his palm, and red flames flickered in his hand. Jun Chong condensed them into a glowing sphere and placed it above Shizui's head.
The red flame sphere slowly seeped into Shizui's body from above. He immediately sat up straight to focus his energy. Before long, he had absorbed all the red flames, and when the brilliance faded, his complexion was no longer as pale as before.
Shizui rose from the ground and bowed to Jun Chong. "Thank you for saving me, Lord."
"Enough of that; there's no need for formalities between us." Jun Chong found a place to sit down, and I nestled beside him. "How's the investigation into Molin going?"
"I chased after the Ghost Bus all the way to the Netherworld. I saw Molin at Yamen, but I couldn't reveal my identity. So I contacted an old friend; it took about an hour. When I returned to Yamen, Molin had already vanished, and his name wasn't in the death registry there. I searched for a long time at East City Yamen but found nothing. The only option left was to investigate the other three cities, even going to the Underworld, but there were no traces at all. Just when I was at my wit's end, I encountered Qin Ling, a ghost who looks exactly like Molin."
At this point, Shizui looked up at me with a complex expression. "This Qin Ling is incomplete in spirit yet fiercely competitive and extremely cold-hearted. After being ambushed, when I fled here, I heard along the way that this Qin Ling came from the Underworld Palace. For so long now, the only reapers who could come directly out of the Underworld Palace besides me are the Seven Guardians. Historically, incomplete souls are frail in life and weak in death; they struggle to survive or reincarnate. This Qin Ling is so formidable; there must be something else sustaining him. I suspect the Lord has done something."
"Now that's interesting; he has always had peculiar methods in his dealings. Even after all these years, that hasn't changed."
Shizui frowned and sighed, shaking his head. "What worries me is if this Qin Ling is a fragment of Molin's soul."
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