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墨書 Inktalez
In the moment of my daze, the man had already turned and left. By the time I snapped back to reality, I rushed outside, but there was no trace of him. Even the unique scent that belonged to him had vanished.
"Anxin." Jun Chong caught up with me, grabbing my arm. "What happened?"
"He's gone." I urgently relayed what had just happened to Jun Chong. "What do you think his purpose was in taking the Qilin Hairpin? Why does he insist on returning it only after the Sixth Seal is broken? Could it be that the Qilin Hairpin is related to your seal?"
"It can't be," Jun Chong denied, leading me back into the restaurant. We sat down at our previous spot, and he pushed the bowl and chopsticks into my hands, urging me to eat. "The Qilin Hairpin fell into the mortal realm long before I was sealed away, waiting for your appearance. Jun Rui wouldn't know about it."
"Then who could that man be?"
Jun Chong furrowed his brow slightly, lowering his head without answering. Clearly, this question troubled him as well. But I couldn't shake the feeling that the man taking the Qilin Hairpin had something to do with Jun Chong rather than me; after all, Jun Chong couldn't see him.
He was a ghost; in this world, any creature would be visible to him. The sudden appearance of this mysterious man left me utterly confused.
"Do you remember I mentioned that the second to fifth seals consist of the souls of four Ancient Beasts? We need to gather all four souls for the Sixth Seal to appear." I nodded, and Jun Chong acknowledged me with a slight nod. "Since he said that, we need to hasten our pace to find the fourth and fifth seals. Honestly, I don't even know what the Sixth Seal is."
"Does the Sixth Seal really have to appear only after gathering all four Ancient Beast souls?"
Faced with my doubts, Jun Chong lifted his gaze and wiped a leaf of vegetable from the corner of my mouth. "What do you mean?"
"I'm just speculating. Is there a possibility that the Sixth Seal could appear early? Perhaps due to the sealing process, you can't see what the Sixth Seal is, but you also can't see this man. So I'm wondering if this man might actually be your Sixth Seal."
Jun Chong's expression froze; clearly, he hadn't considered this.
"The man had a 'six' in the center of his forehead."
I wasn't merely guessing; that 'six' on his brow was strikingly obvious. When I asked him who he was, he showed me that symbol—what did it represent? The only conclusion I could draw was this one.
Silence spread between us as the sky outside grew darker. Many people came in for dinner, and the atmosphere quickly became noisy.
I watched Jun Chong as I ate; he seemed to be in a meditative state, completely still. It wasn't until I finished my meal that he handed me a napkin to wipe my mouth.
"You might be right. Gathering the four beast souls to unlock the first seal will definitely not be as simple as before. How about this: you should interact with this man. If he truly is Sixth Seal, and if he is willing, we can directly bypass the fourth and fifth seals."
I felt a surge of joy. "If that's the case, that would be great! I will definitely ensure the mission is completed."
Jun Chong smiled, taking my hand as we walked out of the restaurant. "But remember, everything must be based on your own safety, understand?"
"Yes."
Jun Chong took me to meet Shizui. Since his return, he hadn't been living with us. At that moment, he was waiting with Mu Yan.
Mu Yan was here to relay news: the King of Hell had already dealt with the events of the wedding day. It was publicly announced that there had been an invasion by outsiders on the wedding day, but the invaders had been dealt with. The Queen of the Underworld had been unwell and remained in the palace, without mentioning anything regarding Jun Chong.
"Since Jun Rui acknowledges the existence of the Queen of the Underworld, does that mean it is completely reasonable for us to mobilize the Golden-Clad Reaper using Phoenix Feather?"
Mu Yan smiled slightly at me. "Yes."
I felt very happy; after all, it was good news. Being able to mobilize the Golden-Clad Reaper early would allow us to defend against attacks from the demon realm and protect the underworld.
However, when Jun Chong heard this news, he did not show any signs of happiness. He lowered his head in thought for a long time before asking Mu Yan, "What is the recent situation in the Underworld?"
Mu Yan was taken aback but replied, "There haven't been any significant fluctuations. Why do you ask, Lord?"
"The last time we sensed demonic energy, it originated from the Underworld. However, upon entering the Underworld, we found no traces of demons, which is quite strange. Such a massive amount of Evil Energy cannot simply exist without leaving any traces. The matter regarding Phoenix Feather can wait; even if we mobilize the Golden-Clad Reaper, we cannot act hastily since there is still a King of Hell in place. We must proceed with caution."
“Jun Chong,” I stepped forward, feeling that their approach was unnecessarily convoluted. If only they could join forces with the King of the Underworld, it would be much better. “Why can’t you brothers reconcile first? Facing the enemy together would be more effective than this.”
Mu Yan remained silent, and Shizui quietly sat to the side sipping tea. Jun Chong’s face was expressionless as he stared at me with his dark eyes, unblinking, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
“Anxin.” The atmosphere grew heavy after my words until Jun Chong finally spoke my name. “Do you know why the Demon Realm is attacking the Underworld?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
Jun Chong reached out and rubbed my serious expression with his thumb, smiling as he said, “Because the Demon King covets the power of life and death over all beings that the King of the Underworld holds. That’s why he attacked the Underworld back then, but I defeated him. I sealed him in the Underworld, but who would have thought he found a loophole and allowed his malevolent thoughts to take root in Jun Rui’s body? As time passes, the seal weakens, and the Demon King’s power grows stronger. If he completely controls Jun Rui, then everything will be over.”
“Then why not extract the malevolent thoughts from Jun Rui’s body?”
“Because my body is sealed, and I lack sufficient spiritual power.” Jun Chong held my hand and sighed. “If it weren’t for his mercy last time, I would have been dead.”
My heart raced at the memory of that harrowing experience still vivid in my mind, lingering in my pores. Each recollection filled me with gratitude that Jun Chong had escaped that fate.
“I can only save Jun Rui completely by regaining my own body to fight against the Demon Realm together, but—”
“But what?”
“But if at that time Jun Rui is completely consumed by the Demon King’s malevolent thoughts and his mind and body are taken over, then I will have no choice but to kill my own brother.”
I was jolted by his words; as he spoke, his hand trembled slightly, and an unprecedented shadow crossed his face, chilling yet tinged with reluctance.
“Jun Chong, you’ve sacrificed too much for the Underworld.”
I felt a pang of sympathy for him. His heart was tied to the Underworld; even if he was no longer its king, he still wanted to protect it. As his wife, I naturally wanted to support him wholeheartedly. I also knew that the best way to support him was to take care of myself.
I held Jun Chong's right hand in both of mine, clasping it gently. "Jun Chong, do things your way. I will always support you, and I believe you will succeed in saving the Underworld and your brother."
In the end, Jun Chong decided to wait and see regarding the matter of Phoenix Feather. Mu Yan would continue to gather intelligence, but Shizui took the initiative to express his desire to monitor the movements of the Underworld.
Jun Chong furrowed his brow again, his slightly narrowed eyes fixed on Shizui. "What did you say?"
Shizui, holding a cup of tea in one hand, exuded an elegant demeanor as the fragrance wafted through the air. Yet he spoke with a rare arrogance that conveyed his assertiveness. "I will investigate matters concerning the Underworld."
"No."
Jun Chong firmly rejected him.
Shizui remained calm, simply placing his teacup on the table with a gentle motion that caused no ripples in the liquid. Then he stood up from his chair, his slender frame appearing particularly tall due to his lean physique, but suddenly he knelt on one knee.
His action startled me and deepened the furrow in Jun Chong's brow. "What are you doing?"
"Since I joined you, I have never made a request, but this time, whether you agree or not, I will take charge of matters concerning the Underworld. I will complete the mission and protect its safety."
As he spoke, Shizui respectfully bowed three times to Jun Chong, then rose and clasped his fists together before vanishing into the darkness like a general heading to battle.
" Lord, Lord Rongzhi—" Mu Yan began to speak but was halted by a wave of Jun Chong's hand. "You should return as well! Leave matters concerning the Underworld to him. Notify me if anything arises."
Since Jun Chong had said so, Mu Yan felt it unnecessary to argue further and bowed in acquiescence. "Yes."
I was curious about Shizui's actions. There must be a reason why Jun Chong didn't want him going to the Underworld, but it was clear that his motives were not solely about safeguarding its safety.
So I asked, "Is there something going on in the Underworld that prompted Shizui to act this way?"
Jun Chong lowered his gaze, the dense lashes casting a hazy golden sheen under the dim yellow light. He stood with his hands clasped behind him, staring at the darkness enveloping the land, his voice laced with endless sighs.
"All souls that are scattered and lost, if their obsessions remain unyielding, may very well be reborn in the Underworld. He wishes to find Jian Rou."
A flicker of hope stirred within me, and I instinctively grasped Jun Chong's arm, anxiously asking, "Could Jian Rou truly be a part of that unyielding obsession?"
"That's hard to say. But if she is not in the Underworld, then she truly will not exist anymore."
My nose tinged slightly with bitterness. Although I had not witnessed Shizui and Jian Rou's past firsthand, those brief days in the Underworld were enough for me to sense the depth of their love.
Yet Shizui ultimately could not protect that cherished love. If the Underworld was their only chance, I genuinely hoped they could reunite.
No matter how it happened, as long as it was guarded by the heart, it would be an eternal existence unchanged through time.
Another day passed, and I dragged Lin You to Fourth Cafe to inquire about that man. All we learned was that he was named Cangling and had recently gone on vacation to Four Sisters Spring, not returning until next week.
I immediately relayed this news to Jun Chong. Since our colleagues were also organizing a trip to Four Sisters Spring this weekend, Jun Chong reluctantly agreed to go out with me, allowing me some time to relax in the hot springs.
Upon hearing that I would also be going, Lin You excitedly pulled me out to buy swimsuits. Time flew by quickly, and soon it was Friday evening. Everyone was preparing to leave that night so we could enjoy two days and two nights of fun.
The car was rented by everyone. I waited in line with Lin You while carrying my backpack when Jun Chong suddenly grabbed my arm, silent and preventing me from getting on.
I looked at him curiously; his expression was cold as he stared at the car, an aura of chill radiating from him that made me feel cold too—not to mention others around us. Someone crossed their arms and remarked, "Why did it suddenly get so cold?"
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