Chapter 24
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Having the Same Name as the Demon Lord of the Abyss
The knot on his throat rolled once. Just when his fear surfaced, he thought about the poor little girl. Ye Zun took a deep breath, suppressed the spreading tension, and stuck his head out cautiously.
In the dark living room, nothing could be seen. He only saw the door of the master bedroom being slowly pushed open silently, as if something had walked in. Then the door silently closed.
——That thing went into the master bedroom. Is it looking for someone room by room? I need to take this opportunity…
——Take this opportunity, should I go into Nogawa Kaoru’s room to find the hidden diary that could be my key? Or find the main exit and leave this house with the little girl first?
He glanced at the door of Nogawa Kaoru’s bedroom that was very close to where he was, then turned his eyes. Going on his tip-toes, he walked out quickly without making a sound.
——The main door, the main door’s location, has it been hidden?
——But it should still be there. Think carefully, find the approximate location first ba.
Ye Zun pressed his fingers against the wall, feeling around inch by inch, before finally seeing the main exit door that was painted almost the same white as the wall.
Found it!
Immediately, he tried pushing, but it didn’t move.
It was like the other side of the door was locked up by layers of chains, the kind of sound that indicated the door can be pushed but cannot be opened completely.
Ye Zun was taken aback and turned his head back to look carefully at the living room, especially putting his guard up against any movements in the master bedroom.
A picture quickly flashed in his mind; the house was like a grave, and the location of the exit was a gravestone. Just then, he tried to get out through the gravestone from inside the grave.
Suddenly, there was a horrifying sound from all over the room, like it was in indescribable pain, like a human soul was being devoured.
——Is that ghostly thing eating someone?
Before he could think more about it, Ye Zun ran to the storage room where the little girl was hiding.
“Quickly come out, come to me.”
The little girl ran out of the hidden garbage heap without hesitation, rushing into Ye Zun’s arms, hugging his neck tightly.
The feeling of being trusted by a weak existence can give people the illusion that they are very powerful.
——I can protect her, I must protect her.
He picked up the little girl, only to notice that the other party was far too light and too small. It hardly took any effort.
“Hold on to me tightly. If you are scared, close your eyes and cover your ears. Don’t look or listen.”
He protected the child in his arms with one hand and held the boning knife in his other. He turned around and ran towards where the main exit was, and then, regardless of the horrifying noises in the room, began to slash the door with the knife in his hand.
Once, twice, thrice…
What was this splitting feeling? He didn’t know if the chain behind the door was broken, or if the wooden grave door had cracked.
Under the relentless and violent destruction, finally, the door revealed a clear skylight.
The terrifying sound from the bedroom was deafening, and he could hear something’s footsteps from somewhere, coming in his direction.
But when Ye Zun urgently turned back to look, he saw nothing, only that the old dark room was shaking constantly, as if the whole house was being hacked down.
Ye Zun couldn’t delay things a second more, directly lifting his foot and kicking the cracking door to make the exit more distinct.
Then, he put down the little girl in his arms who had tightly shut her eyes, then pushed her towards the opening in the broken door. “Hurry, you go out first. Once you’re out, run to a bright and crowded place, prioritise seeking help from women.”
The footsteps behind him were getting closer and closer, faster and faster, like there were more than one set.
The hairs on Ye Zun’s back all stood up but he didn’t have time to look back.
After the little girl was pushed out by him, the size of the exit was not big enough for him to leave as well. It was too late. Ye Zun didn’t hesitate to quickly run in the other direction, hiding inside the door of the storage room by the wall.
He plastered himself against the wall and stood cautiously, raising the boning knife in his hand. As soon as that thing catches up, he will immediately fight back.
But nothing came after him. There was nothing in the dark living room, but it was obvious that something terrifying existed. The broken door was grabbed and shaken violently, as if the invisible thing wanted to get out as well, to escape from the grave-like house. Even the whole room felt like it was trembling.
The other party didn’t find him, or it did find him but didn’t care. Either way, Ye Zun breathed a sigh of relief.
——But, what should I do next? Are there any other exits?
He turned around and unconsciously looked around the storage room.
He suddenly froze.
In the storage room that should have been empty, a person standing with their back to him faced the wall motionlessly.
That person was very familiar. The same familiarity as if he looked into a mirror. It was another ‘him’.
It was like Ye Zun’s soul had ran out, and the shell of his body remained here.
The walls were covered with stuck-on paper, densely packed, like a diary that has been torn apart into pages.
——Is that the hidden key diary?
Ye Zun couldn’t care less about this person who looked exactly like him. He immediately stuck close to the wall, trying to read the writing on the paper under the dim light that poured in from the grave door that was split open in the dark.
Behind him, shadows were cast on the ground. The terrifying existence that couldn’t be seen was approaching the doorway and a huge, dangerous and dark shadow enveloped Ye Zun.
The other “Ye Zun”, who was wearing the opposite of his clothes by donning white pants and a black shirt, who should have been as motionless and unresponsive as the walking dead, suddenly turned his head to look at him.
……
“Did you not sleep well last night?”
At breakfast time, Lin looked at the absent-minded Ye Zun, and asked a question.
Ye Zun returned to his senses and wore a smile on his face. “No, I slept pretty well. By the way, there’s something I’m curious about, I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“What is it?”
Ye Zun looked at Lin sitting opposite to him. “I remember you said before that you came here after receiving a job from the church. I would like to know, what kind of work is it? Is it convenient for you to tell me?”
Lin watched him gently, with a faint smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Of course I can. It’s just that it may not be possible to go into details. It is mainly to record the process of changes in this instance world, as well as the results after the event has ended.”
Ye Zun: “So to speak, Father does not need to investigate the reason behind the supernatural event, nor do you need to resolve it, is that right?”
Lin looked at him with slight restraint. “The church can’t interfere in the Demon God’s Amusement Park, it is more about observation and recording. So, yes. But, if you need it, I can help you.”
Ye Zun blinked, then showed a very shallow smile. “I don’t need you to violate the boundaries of the church. I just want to know, are there any skills that ordinary people can use to confront ghosts?”
Lin’s eyes moved slightly. The person in front of him seemed to have changed just a little. He looked into Ye Zun’s eyes. “In a sense, the church is indeed studying the ghosts’ systems of gaining power. As for things I can say, I can indeed tell you some confrontation skills. However, if I were you, I would not listen. “
Ye Zun looked at him, eyes holding no surprise, just a slight curiosity. “Why? “
Lin looked at him, calmly and quietly saying, “Before, when we talked about the ghost’s systems of gaining power, we talked about fear.”
“En, you said that ghosts gain the power to kill me from my fear.”
Lin’s ten fingers neatly clasped together. “That’s right. The source of fear is, first of all, your acknowledgement and awareness of ghosts. The more you know, the more you understand, and the more you will fall into the ghost’s system of power, strengthening the enemy.”
Ye Zun blinked. “You said that to confront ghosts, you must first get rid of this influence and not enter the opponent’s energy harvesting system. However, isn’t there no way to do this?”
Lin’s black and shiny eyes stared directly at him for a moment. “Of course there is. Think about how you entered the Demon God’s Amusement Park, how did you successfully fight against it back then? Remember the gut feeling in every winning experience, think about what you did right.”
Ye Zun contemplated. Back then, he didn’t listen to the voice on the phone, choosing to face his fear and going back to the rental house, violating the progressive route designed by the ghost made to build up his fear.
“Did anything happen last night?” The priest had a slight curiosity in his eyes, “En, I feel like you are a little different today.”
Ye Zun smiled a little and looked at him. “It’s because the breakfast Father made is very delicious. Before I knew it, my body relaxed.”
It was also because, although he had a nightmare, the final outcome of the dream was very good.
In the nightmare last night, he not only rescued the little girl from the terrifying house, but he also found a new clue.
On the diary stuck to the wall, there was a sentence written on it.
【 Wednesday, 7:15… The flower bed in the lower right corner… The senior sister wearing a cherry blossom hairpin, can you see the diary? Should be able to see it ba. 】
Does this mean that there was indeed a very important diary, and Nogawa Kaoru put it in the hands of a senior sister who wore a cherry blossom pin, and made an appointment to pick it up at 7:15 on Wednesday morning?
Today was the fourth day of the instance. Ye Zun entered the instance on Sunday evening, and today happened to be Wednesday.
Because it was a clue obtained from his dream, Ye Zun didn’t want to randomly mention it before he was certain he had attained it. Otherwise, it would be fine if he did get it, but if it was just something in his dream that didn’t exist at all, it would be a bit absurd.
“Is that so ah. Then, you should eat some more.” Lin accepted this reason.
On the way to school, Ye Zun was also thinking about the little girl in his dream. After waking up from a dream, the people inside will always be a little blurry. She was vaguely like a child he had never seen before. Going by age, she looked to be around the same as the little sister in Nogawa Kaoru’s family.
The child that Ye Zun had only seen on Monday morning; at that time, the middle-aged man scolded her with a black face and had her cook breakfast for him in the kitchen despite her being a child, and was even dissatisfied by her, picking faults here and there.
Speaking of which, the middle-aged man only appeared in the morning during the day, while the middle-aged woman only appeared at night. One said that the other was dead, one said that the other had disappeared. The two of them really made people feel uncomfortable.
——Can it be, that I should go to Nogawa Kaoru’s little sister, that girl, and ask her about the situation at home?
——It should be much more reliable than Shen Yuan. At the very least, Nogawa Kaoru and the little girl are brother and sister born to the same mother, they should know a little more.
In the morning, they also arrived at school in Lin’s car.
Lin parked the car at the gate of the school first and said to Ye Zun, “You go on first ba, I’ll come once I park the car.”
The parking lot was opposite to the school. It would take a little more time to walk over after parking the car. The other party had even taken this into consideration.
Ye Zun felt warm in his heart. His eyes became soft. “Then, I’ll see you at noon.”
Lin sitting in the car nodded lightly, saying with a reserved smile, “I will see you at noon.”
Lin came out of the parking lot and crossed the road, walking with a faint smile on his lips.
There was a row of cherry blossom trees outside the entrance of the school. The early-rising elderly would leash their pets and take them out for a walk.
“Young man, are you able to help me?”
Lin stopped in his path, humbly and politely looking at the old lady who called him. “Hello, may I ask what is the matter?”
The old lady was very old, hunching over with her thin and small body, eyes cloudy but kind. “My good cub can’t come down, can you help me ah?”
Lin smiled and looked at the little milk cat who couldn’t climb down from the high flower tree next to them. “Is it this one?”
His build was very tall, and with no effort, the palm of his hand caged the little milk cat that was curled up motionlessly.
The kitten stared at him with round eyes, an unmoving lump of fur. It was very well behaved, as if it was frightened by something.
Lin smiled, his slender fingers wrapping around its neck and his thumbs lightly scratching. The cat’s eyes were extremely round, unblinking, as if the man wearing a gentle, kind and beautiful smile in front of it was not petting it, but rather, he was going to strangle it to death.
“Very cute.”
Lin handed the cat in his hand to the old grandmother, who smiled contentedly, hugging the little milk cat and calling it obedient. “The tree is too tall, this poor little one must’ve been scared ba. Grandma is petting you, don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Young man, thank you very much ah.”
“You are welcome. Don’t run around next time, it really is dangerous for a small thing like you.” Lin faintly smiled and his eyes left the cat’s body.
Once the priest walked far away, the cat that was dumb as a wooden chicken, meowed wu with its puffed out and buried its head in the arms of the grandmother. All that was left was a trembling and chubby cat’s butt.
It was currently the morning reading period. Students gathered in groups of twos and threes were all over the campus. Occasionally, people who knew Lin greeted him.
“Laoshi is in a very good mood today ah.”
“En, probably because the weather is rather nice.” Lin also smiled and warmly responded.
The student glanced strangely at the gloomy weather that was just like yesterday’s and forced themselves to be optimistic. “It’s windy today, a little more refreshing than yesterday.”
Lin maintained a slightly raised smile along this walk, but when he came to the edge of the flower bed, his steps suddenly came to a stop.
The smile that lasted all morning, after freezing for a second, disappeared completely.
After walking through the school entrance, then turning right and going forward, there was a flower bed. Because it was far away from the teaching building, there were very few people in this area during the morning reading period.
There were two people standing at the edge of the flower bed: a boy in black school uniform, and a girl in a skirt of the same school uniform.
The girl had fashionably long chestnut-yellow hair, wearing a cherry blossom hairpin and delicate makeup. She had a bright and lovely smile, tilting her head to look at the young man in front of her.
Even on a cloudy day without the sun, the morning light was still rather fresh and bright.
The young man under the sunlight was slender and tall, and the black uniform on his body looked indescribably natural, lightweight and fitting.
The outline of his profile was very smooth. The bone beneath his eyes, his jaw, the bridge of his nose, all were especially gorgeous. Instead of a soft beauty without any edges and corners, he had the sharp but somewhat jerky handsome appearance of one transitioning from a teenager into a young man.
But that sharp handsomeness had no edge, rather, it was clear and fragile.
When he wasn’t smiling and had his lips pursed slightly, his eyebrows, eyes and chin would appear indifferent. As if a surprise attack had been launched on him not long ago, there was a sense of insecurity engraved in his bones, vigilant and rejecting all who were approaching around him.
However, this fragile indifference did not make him look cold, and the tough defences that were deliberately piled up made people more curious in wanting to explore what was inside. They couldn’t help but want to take a few more glances, wanting to know what is on his mind, what troubles he has encountered.
It caused people to be unable to hold back their urge to please him, to make his defences collapse on his own initiative, have the tension between his brows and in his eyes soften, and be treated by him with special trust.
But now, the expression of indifference and rejection was completely gone.
He was smiling.
That face showed a clear and bright smile, light and clear without the weight of shadows. There was no need for others to do anything; he had pulled away his defences all on his own.
He stood there, taller and slightly thinner than the girl in front of him, looking unmistakably warm and dependable.
The pure and clear eyes accompanying his smile looked like they were looking at a lovely blooming flower that needed protection. If the flower needs it, he will definitely protect her.
But the girl in front of him was healthy and bright, authentic and fresh. On the contrary, only he appeared to be neither pale nor weak, and at the same time, like a false delusion.
The indifference in the young man’s brows and eyes turned into a clear, soft light. His smile and eyes were lacking any flaws, but there was still the fragility of being thin and easy to break.
Like the early morning of late summer, when the light from the sky passes through the cool mountain spring, the short moment before the sunlight breaks through, beautiful and delicate; unstoppable, unreproducible, uncapturable, unimaginable.
The girl opposite the young man obviously had the same impression as Lin. She tilted her head and smiled cutely. The smile was bright on that pretty face, but her eyes were vaguely and carefully observing, making her smile seem deliberate, in order to make the young man in front of her happy, to let his indifference melt away, to keep the smile on his face for a little longer.
But she didn’t seem to have to do anything in particular. That person was already happy because of her.
However, the priest who saw this scene did not feel happy, nor did he find it beautiful. He only found it unsightly.
The smile on his face had long since disappeared and there was no trace of the good mood he was in since the morning. Not only that, because of handsome and high-born appearance, despite never smiling, he still had elegant and clean features. Although, at this moment, there was only an icy shadow over his face.
The darkness submerged, the only source of light lost, the expensive black crystal immersed in the cool spring water deprived of all its clarity. There was only the thick and dark deathly aura that continued to rise from the abyss, the ink-black colour, staring directly at the unsightly beauty in front of him.
So far, no matter which one of himself the youth was facing, this person has never shown such an expression to him.
Rosy lips were tightly pursed, and the corners of the lips were hooked chillingly. Cutting off the red spider lily* blooming in the flower bed, the hand then discarded it.
[T/N: 曼珠沙华/lycoris radiata]
……
“Don’t be nervous. I understand, because I am the same.” The girl smiled brilliantly, her eyes comforting Ye Zun who was somewhat nervous.
Ye Zun looked at the girl wearing a cherry blossom hairpin standing front of him. “The matter with the diary, I’m really grateful.”
The girl tilted her head and faced him with a smile. “If you pick up something, you naturally should return it to the original owner. Don’t worry, I properly resisted my curiosity and didn’t read a single page.”
Ye Zun faintly smiled. He wasn’t worried if the girl had read the diary. Based on the note in his dream, for some unknown reason, Nogawa Kaoru seemed to have deliberately left the diary in this girl’s hands, as if he wanted it to be read by her.
“I don’t know how to thank Xuejie*.”
[T/N: senior (school) sister]
“Are you okay now?”
“En?” Ye Zun was slightly stunned and maintained his smile.
——Could it be that this girl knew Nogawa Kaoru from the beginning?
The girl was not annoyed, still smiling. “So polite, do you really not remember me? I’m from the school’s art department. We met yesterday. I am the dance program’s consultant for the school’s anniversary celebration production.”
Ye Zun remembered that because he was drawn from the Class 9’s lottery, he was forced to report to the school’s celebration production. Yesterday, everyone went to the activity centre for a short meeting to discuss their performances and whether they needed to stay in school for practise and rehearsal.
“We’re friends now. If you need any help, you can come to me at any time oh. For your performance, or anything else.”
“En, thank you.”
Ye Zun was listening to the girl in front of him when he suddenly felt a disturbing chill crawl up his back. He immediately turned his head back.
However, there was no abnormal person or thing. He only saw the back figure of someone leaving past the corner in the near distance.
——Seems to be… Lin. Did he pass by just now? If it’s him, why didn’t he say hello to me?
——Or, he actually did say hello, but I didn’t hear it?
The girl smiled brightly, her fingers waving in front of Ye Zun’s eyes, causing them to turn back.
“What are you looking at? Did some great beauty pass through?”
Ye Zun smiled slightly. “It was a very important friend of mine.”
“Is that so ah.” Noticing that Ye Zun didn’t seem to want to continue down this line of topic, the girl blinked, then smiled lightly and nodded. “Oh, it’s getting late. We should get back to class too ba.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go together ba.”
Ye Zun and her walked side by side along the path beside the flowerbed.
“Yi, what’s this? Are the bush flowers blooming?” The girl suddenly raised her voice.
Ye Zun walked over and saw a large red flower blooming on the neatly trimmed hedge at the edge of the flower bed.
Upon closer inspection, it was not the bush that had bloomed by itself, but a red spider lily that someone had snapped off and discarded.
“Yi, what kind of person is so immoral to just snap off a flower that just bloomed,” the girl said regretfully when she saw Ye Zun pick up the flower.
Ye Zun lowered his eyes to at the flower between his fingers and also showed a look of pity. “Right ah, it’s such a beautiful flower. There’s nothing to do if it was plucked off, but they just threw it away.”
“It’s probably because someone would see if they kept holding on to it, so they threw it away out of fear of being scolded. You should also throw it away as soon as possible ba, or other people will think you were the one who picked it.”
Ye Zun smiled a little and looked at the flowers between his fingers, but he didn’t throw it away.
The two people were of different grades and were in different teaching buildings, so they soon separated.
Ye Zun walked into the second year’s Class 9 classroom, and when he looked up, he saw Shen Yuan standing lazily in the aisle.
The buttons of the white shirt were all unexpectedly done up to the collar, but the slender black tie was knotted messily and the black uniform was not worn properly. At first glance, the get up didn’t look good, but because of that handsome face, the ruffian was a little more elegant than he should have been.
The other party also saw Ye Zun. On that ‘I can do whatever I want’ face, no matter how brilliant his smile was, the depths of eyes were nothing but dark and gloomy. However, at this moment, there was no smile at all.
Without that unsightly villain’s smile, that face looked even more handsome.
It’s just that the shape and lines of the eyes were more obvious. The corners of his eyes were slightly pointed and the narrow and long tail at the ends revealed the deranged and lazy temperament, and the dull shadow in the eyes looked even more neurotic.
It was like there were hooks in those dark eyes. When he tilted his head and stared at people without blinking, it was like he was casually thinking about how to kill you, giving people a hard to grasp sense of danger.
“In a good mood?”
——See?
Ye Zun’s eyes looked directly at him, facing the other who was obviously finding fault with him. He suspected that the other was unhappy and didn’t want him to be happy either. He did not avoid it, and the thin, clear and natural gentleness on his face did not disappear because of this.
However, he was never vigilant or alert when facing Shen Yuan in the first place.
“En. Because the weather is good.”
Shen Yuan was leaning on his desk, with the meaning that he had no intention to move away, while playing around with a book.
“What’s so good about the dark and windy weather? It’s because of somebody ba.”
He tilted his head slightly, his lowered eyes narrowing slightly, staring intently at Ye Zun. The corners of his lips were hooked up, but there was no smile. His tone was low, but without aggression, just in a poor mood. “Talking to your girlfriend in this haunted school? What, are you not scared anymore? Maybe the other party’s true identity is a ghost.”
Ye Zun had already walked in front of him at this point. He was slightly confused. “Girlfriend?”
Shen Yuan nodded, head still tilted while looking at him. The dark and unpredictable expression did not make any sense. He slowly blinked his eyes, frowning slightly, and said with a sincere look, “Seriously, you have poor eyesight. Just looking at that girl, anyone can see she doesn’t suit you. Average looks, her hair is dyed a tacky colour, a fake appearance under all that powder, and her smile is so artificial…”
———He really is looking for faults.
Ye Zun lowered his head and smiled helplessly. He didn’t listen to his nonsense, only handing the flower in his hand to the other and interrupted his impolite words. “This is for you.”
Shen Yuan’s voice stopped abruptly. His eyes fell on the red spider lily flower, then he paused for a moment and looked up at him.
Ye Zun maintained his posture of handing over the flower and the smile in his eyes was very light and thin. “Although I don’t know who picked it off and threw it on the bush, it looks like it’s only just bloomed. It’s a very beautiful flower. I originally planned to nurture it or turn it into a sample, but if you like it, I’ll give it to you ba.”
Shen Yuan didn’t receive it, nor did he speak. Those dark eyes stared straight at him with his face forming an incomprehensible expression.
“Why give me a flower?”
Ye Zun didn’t pay attention to his people-disturbing attitude. There was a clean and soft expression on his own face, one that was almost not there at all, just like when he was talking to the girl at the flower bed before. It was like a light milky flavoured popsicle in summer.
If you take a bite in your mouth, it will be refreshing and cold, with a hint of sweetness.
Maintaining the stance of giving the flower, Ye Zun stared at him earnestly. “Yesterday was my fault, I shouldn’t have said that about you. I should have apologised earlier, but I had something on my mind yesterday and I wasn’t in the right headspace. I’m sorry. It may not have any meaning, but I hope this flower can make you feel better from what I caused in my bad mood. I really am sorry.”
Once he finished speaking, because the other party didn’t receive the offering for a long time, Ye Zun looked down at the flower in his hand and pursed his lips lightly. “If you don’t like the flower, then nevermind.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” Shen Yuan reached out and grabbed the red spider lily right from his hand, carelessly sniffing it once, and raised his eyes to look at him. “This has absolutely no scent at all.”
A faint smile peeked out from Ye Zun’s lips again. “But, it really does look beautiful ba.”
Although he was still lazy and lacking in energy, and there was no smile on his face, the deranged lifelessness on Shen Yuan’s brows and eyes dissipated a lot. His eyes became clear and his appearance returned to his previous laziness.
“En, very beautiful.”
Ye Zun walked around him and sat at his desk beside the window, then pulled out the diary he got back from the girl from his bag.
Shen Yuan was right. He really was in a good mood, because Nogawa Kaoru’s secret would soon be solved.
The author has something to say:
Journey of a red spider lily——
On the morning of blooming, it was picked off and discarded by a priest in a bad mood, then picked up by a good-looking little Gege passing by. But it was too late to be happy, because it was soon delivered back into familiar hands.
Red spider lily: Blame me for being too beautiful ┭┮﹏┭┮
Have the feeling that Ye Zun has the talent of being a natural scum ah, and the Demon Lord is really easy to coax~
·
【 As for why there is red spider lily in April, it is not a bug, we will find out very soon 】
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Having the Same Name as the Demon Lord of the Abyss
The knot on his throat rolled once. Just when his fear surfaced, he thought about the poor little girl. Ye Zun took a deep breath, suppressed the spreading tension, and stuck his head out cautiously.
In the dark living room, nothing could be seen. He only saw the door of the master bedroom being slowly pushed open silently, as if something had walked in. Then the door silently closed.
——That thing went into the master bedroom. Is it looking for someone room by room? I need to take this opportunity…
——Take this opportunity, should I go into Nogawa Kaoru’s room to find the hidden diary that could be my key? Or find the main exit and leave this house with the little girl first?
He glanced at the door of Nogawa Kaoru’s bedroom that was very close to where he was, then turned his eyes. Going on his tip-toes, he walked out quickly without making a sound.
——The main door, the main door’s location, has it been hidden?
——But it should still be there. Think carefully, find the approximate location first ba.
Ye Zun pressed his fingers against the wall, feeling around inch by inch, before finally seeing the main exit door that was painted almost the same white as the wall.
Found it!
Immediately, he tried pushing, but it didn’t move.
It was like the other side of the door was locked up by layers of chains, the kind of sound that indicated the door can be pushed but cannot be opened completely.
Ye Zun was taken aback and turned his head back to look carefully at the living room, especially putting his guard up against any movements in the master bedroom.
A picture quickly flashed in his mind; the house was like a grave, and the location of the exit was a gravestone. Just then, he tried to get out through the gravestone from inside the grave.
Suddenly, there was a horrifying sound from all over the room, like it was in indescribable pain, like a human soul was being devoured.
——Is that ghostly thing eating someone?
Before he could think more about it, Ye Zun ran to the storage room where the little girl was hiding.
“Quickly come out, come to me.”
The little girl ran out of the hidden garbage heap without hesitation, rushing into Ye Zun’s arms, hugging his neck tightly.
The feeling of being trusted by a weak existence can give people the illusion that they are very powerful.
——I can protect her, I must protect her.
He picked up the little girl, only to notice that the other party was far too light and too small. It hardly took any effort.
“Hold on to me tightly. If you are scared, close your eyes and cover your ears. Don’t look or listen.”
He protected the child in his arms with one hand and held the boning knife in his other. He turned around and ran towards where the main exit was, and then, regardless of the horrifying noises in the room, began to slash the door with the knife in his hand.
Once, twice, thrice…
What was this splitting feeling? He didn’t know if the chain behind the door was broken, or if the wooden grave door had cracked.
Under the relentless and violent destruction, finally, the door revealed a clear skylight.
The terrifying sound from the bedroom was deafening, and he could hear something’s footsteps from somewhere, coming in his direction.
But when Ye Zun urgently turned back to look, he saw nothing, only that the old dark room was shaking constantly, as if the whole house was being hacked down.
Ye Zun couldn’t delay things a second more, directly lifting his foot and kicking the cracking door to make the exit more distinct.
Then, he put down the little girl in his arms who had tightly shut her eyes, then pushed her towards the opening in the broken door. “Hurry, you go out first. Once you’re out, run to a bright and crowded place, prioritise seeking help from women.”
The footsteps behind him were getting closer and closer, faster and faster, like there were more than one set.
The hairs on Ye Zun’s back all stood up but he didn’t have time to look back.
After the little girl was pushed out by him, the size of the exit was not big enough for him to leave as well. It was too late. Ye Zun didn’t hesitate to quickly run in the other direction, hiding inside the door of the storage room by the wall.
He plastered himself against the wall and stood cautiously, raising the boning knife in his hand. As soon as that thing catches up, he will immediately fight back.
But nothing came after him. There was nothing in the dark living room, but it was obvious that something terrifying existed. The broken door was grabbed and shaken violently, as if the invisible thing wanted to get out as well, to escape from the grave-like house. Even the whole room felt like it was trembling.
The other party didn’t find him, or it did find him but didn’t care. Either way, Ye Zun breathed a sigh of relief.
——But, what should I do next? Are there any other exits?
He turned around and unconsciously looked around the storage room.
He suddenly froze.
In the storage room that should have been empty, a person standing with their back to him faced the wall motionlessly.
That person was very familiar. The same familiarity as if he looked into a mirror. It was another ‘him’.
It was like Ye Zun’s soul had ran out, and the shell of his body remained here.
The walls were covered with stuck-on paper, densely packed, like a diary that has been torn apart into pages.
——Is that the hidden key diary?
Ye Zun couldn’t care less about this person who looked exactly like him. He immediately stuck close to the wall, trying to read the writing on the paper under the dim light that poured in from the grave door that was split open in the dark.
Behind him, shadows were cast on the ground. The terrifying existence that couldn’t be seen was approaching the doorway and a huge, dangerous and dark shadow enveloped Ye Zun.
The other “Ye Zun”, who was wearing the opposite of his clothes by donning white pants and a black shirt, who should have been as motionless and unresponsive as the walking dead, suddenly turned his head to look at him.
……
“Did you not sleep well last night?”
At breakfast time, Lin looked at the absent-minded Ye Zun, and asked a question.
Ye Zun returned to his senses and wore a smile on his face. “No, I slept pretty well. By the way, there’s something I’m curious about, I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“What is it?”
Ye Zun looked at Lin sitting opposite to him. “I remember you said before that you came here after receiving a job from the church. I would like to know, what kind of work is it? Is it convenient for you to tell me?”
Lin watched him gently, with a faint smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Of course I can. It’s just that it may not be possible to go into details. It is mainly to record the process of changes in this instance world, as well as the results after the event has ended.”
Ye Zun: “So to speak, Father does not need to investigate the reason behind the supernatural event, nor do you need to resolve it, is that right?”
Lin looked at him with slight restraint. “The church can’t interfere in the Demon God’s Amusement Park, it is more about observation and recording. So, yes. But, if you need it, I can help you.”
Ye Zun blinked, then showed a very shallow smile. “I don’t need you to violate the boundaries of the church. I just want to know, are there any skills that ordinary people can use to confront ghosts?”
Lin’s eyes moved slightly. The person in front of him seemed to have changed just a little. He looked into Ye Zun’s eyes. “In a sense, the church is indeed studying the ghosts’ systems of gaining power. As for things I can say, I can indeed tell you some confrontation skills. However, if I were you, I would not listen. “
Ye Zun looked at him, eyes holding no surprise, just a slight curiosity. “Why? “
Lin looked at him, calmly and quietly saying, “Before, when we talked about the ghost’s systems of gaining power, we talked about fear.”
“En, you said that ghosts gain the power to kill me from my fear.”
Lin’s ten fingers neatly clasped together. “That’s right. The source of fear is, first of all, your acknowledgement and awareness of ghosts. The more you know, the more you understand, and the more you will fall into the ghost’s system of power, strengthening the enemy.”
Ye Zun blinked. “You said that to confront ghosts, you must first get rid of this influence and not enter the opponent’s energy harvesting system. However, isn’t there no way to do this?”
Lin’s black and shiny eyes stared directly at him for a moment. “Of course there is. Think about how you entered the Demon God’s Amusement Park, how did you successfully fight against it back then? Remember the gut feeling in every winning experience, think about what you did right.”
Ye Zun contemplated. Back then, he didn’t listen to the voice on the phone, choosing to face his fear and going back to the rental house, violating the progressive route designed by the ghost made to build up his fear.
“Did anything happen last night?” The priest had a slight curiosity in his eyes, “En, I feel like you are a little different today.”
Ye Zun smiled a little and looked at him. “It’s because the breakfast Father made is very delicious. Before I knew it, my body relaxed.”
It was also because, although he had a nightmare, the final outcome of the dream was very good.
In the nightmare last night, he not only rescued the little girl from the terrifying house, but he also found a new clue.
On the diary stuck to the wall, there was a sentence written on it.
【 Wednesday, 7:15… The flower bed in the lower right corner… The senior sister wearing a cherry blossom hairpin, can you see the diary? Should be able to see it ba. 】
Does this mean that there was indeed a very important diary, and Nogawa Kaoru put it in the hands of a senior sister who wore a cherry blossom pin, and made an appointment to pick it up at 7:15 on Wednesday morning?
Today was the fourth day of the instance. Ye Zun entered the instance on Sunday evening, and today happened to be Wednesday.
Because it was a clue obtained from his dream, Ye Zun didn’t want to randomly mention it before he was certain he had attained it. Otherwise, it would be fine if he did get it, but if it was just something in his dream that didn’t exist at all, it would be a bit absurd.
“Is that so ah. Then, you should eat some more.” Lin accepted this reason.
On the way to school, Ye Zun was also thinking about the little girl in his dream. After waking up from a dream, the people inside will always be a little blurry. She was vaguely like a child he had never seen before. Going by age, she looked to be around the same as the little sister in Nogawa Kaoru’s family.
The child that Ye Zun had only seen on Monday morning; at that time, the middle-aged man scolded her with a black face and had her cook breakfast for him in the kitchen despite her being a child, and was even dissatisfied by her, picking faults here and there.
Speaking of which, the middle-aged man only appeared in the morning during the day, while the middle-aged woman only appeared at night. One said that the other was dead, one said that the other had disappeared. The two of them really made people feel uncomfortable.
——Can it be, that I should go to Nogawa Kaoru’s little sister, that girl, and ask her about the situation at home?
——It should be much more reliable than Shen Yuan. At the very least, Nogawa Kaoru and the little girl are brother and sister born to the same mother, they should know a little more.
In the morning, they also arrived at school in Lin’s car.
Lin parked the car at the gate of the school first and said to Ye Zun, “You go on first ba, I’ll come once I park the car.”
The parking lot was opposite to the school. It would take a little more time to walk over after parking the car. The other party had even taken this into consideration.
Ye Zun felt warm in his heart. His eyes became soft. “Then, I’ll see you at noon.”
Lin sitting in the car nodded lightly, saying with a reserved smile, “I will see you at noon.”
Lin came out of the parking lot and crossed the road, walking with a faint smile on his lips.
There was a row of cherry blossom trees outside the entrance of the school. The early-rising elderly would leash their pets and take them out for a walk.
“Young man, are you able to help me?”
Lin stopped in his path, humbly and politely looking at the old lady who called him. “Hello, may I ask what is the matter?”
The old lady was very old, hunching over with her thin and small body, eyes cloudy but kind. “My good cub can’t come down, can you help me ah?”
Lin smiled and looked at the little milk cat who couldn’t climb down from the high flower tree next to them. “Is it this one?”
His build was very tall, and with no effort, the palm of his hand caged the little milk cat that was curled up motionlessly.
The kitten stared at him with round eyes, an unmoving lump of fur. It was very well behaved, as if it was frightened by something.
Lin smiled, his slender fingers wrapping around its neck and his thumbs lightly scratching. The cat’s eyes were extremely round, unblinking, as if the man wearing a gentle, kind and beautiful smile in front of it was not petting it, but rather, he was going to strangle it to death.
“Very cute.”
Lin handed the cat in his hand to the old grandmother, who smiled contentedly, hugging the little milk cat and calling it obedient. “The tree is too tall, this poor little one must’ve been scared ba. Grandma is petting you, don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Young man, thank you very much ah.”
“You are welcome. Don’t run around next time, it really is dangerous for a small thing like you.” Lin faintly smiled and his eyes left the cat’s body.
Once the priest walked far away, the cat that was dumb as a wooden chicken, meowed wu with its puffed out and buried its head in the arms of the grandmother. All that was left was a trembling and chubby cat’s butt.
It was currently the morning reading period. Students gathered in groups of twos and threes were all over the campus. Occasionally, people who knew Lin greeted him.
“Laoshi is in a very good mood today ah.”
“En, probably because the weather is rather nice.” Lin also smiled and warmly responded.
The student glanced strangely at the gloomy weather that was just like yesterday’s and forced themselves to be optimistic. “It’s windy today, a little more refreshing than yesterday.”
Lin maintained a slightly raised smile along this walk, but when he came to the edge of the flower bed, his steps suddenly came to a stop.
The smile that lasted all morning, after freezing for a second, disappeared completely.
After walking through the school entrance, then turning right and going forward, there was a flower bed. Because it was far away from the teaching building, there were very few people in this area during the morning reading period.
There were two people standing at the edge of the flower bed: a boy in black school uniform, and a girl in a skirt of the same school uniform.
The girl had fashionably long chestnut-yellow hair, wearing a cherry blossom hairpin and delicate makeup. She had a bright and lovely smile, tilting her head to look at the young man in front of her.
Even on a cloudy day without the sun, the morning light was still rather fresh and bright.
The young man under the sunlight was slender and tall, and the black uniform on his body looked indescribably natural, lightweight and fitting.
The outline of his profile was very smooth. The bone beneath his eyes, his jaw, the bridge of his nose, all were especially gorgeous. Instead of a soft beauty without any edges and corners, he had the sharp but somewhat jerky handsome appearance of one transitioning from a teenager into a young man.
But that sharp handsomeness had no edge, rather, it was clear and fragile.
When he wasn’t smiling and had his lips pursed slightly, his eyebrows, eyes and chin would appear indifferent. As if a surprise attack had been launched on him not long ago, there was a sense of insecurity engraved in his bones, vigilant and rejecting all who were approaching around him.
However, this fragile indifference did not make him look cold, and the tough defences that were deliberately piled up made people more curious in wanting to explore what was inside. They couldn’t help but want to take a few more glances, wanting to know what is on his mind, what troubles he has encountered.
It caused people to be unable to hold back their urge to please him, to make his defences collapse on his own initiative, have the tension between his brows and in his eyes soften, and be treated by him with special trust.
But now, the expression of indifference and rejection was completely gone.
He was smiling.
That face showed a clear and bright smile, light and clear without the weight of shadows. There was no need for others to do anything; he had pulled away his defences all on his own.
He stood there, taller and slightly thinner than the girl in front of him, looking unmistakably warm and dependable.
The pure and clear eyes accompanying his smile looked like they were looking at a lovely blooming flower that needed protection. If the flower needs it, he will definitely protect her.
But the girl in front of him was healthy and bright, authentic and fresh. On the contrary, only he appeared to be neither pale nor weak, and at the same time, like a false delusion.
The indifference in the young man’s brows and eyes turned into a clear, soft light. His smile and eyes were lacking any flaws, but there was still the fragility of being thin and easy to break.
Like the early morning of late summer, when the light from the sky passes through the cool mountain spring, the short moment before the sunlight breaks through, beautiful and delicate; unstoppable, unreproducible, uncapturable, unimaginable.
The girl opposite the young man obviously had the same impression as Lin. She tilted her head and smiled cutely. The smile was bright on that pretty face, but her eyes were vaguely and carefully observing, making her smile seem deliberate, in order to make the young man in front of her happy, to let his indifference melt away, to keep the smile on his face for a little longer.
But she didn’t seem to have to do anything in particular. That person was already happy because of her.
However, the priest who saw this scene did not feel happy, nor did he find it beautiful. He only found it unsightly.
The smile on his face had long since disappeared and there was no trace of the good mood he was in since the morning. Not only that, because of handsome and high-born appearance, despite never smiling, he still had elegant and clean features. Although, at this moment, there was only an icy shadow over his face.
The darkness submerged, the only source of light lost, the expensive black crystal immersed in the cool spring water deprived of all its clarity. There was only the thick and dark deathly aura that continued to rise from the abyss, the ink-black colour, staring directly at the unsightly beauty in front of him.
So far, no matter which one of himself the youth was facing, this person has never shown such an expression to him.
Rosy lips were tightly pursed, and the corners of the lips were hooked chillingly. Cutting off the red spider lily* blooming in the flower bed, the hand then discarded it.
[T/N: 曼珠沙华/lycoris radiata]
……
“Don’t be nervous. I understand, because I am the same.” The girl smiled brilliantly, her eyes comforting Ye Zun who was somewhat nervous.
Ye Zun looked at the girl wearing a cherry blossom hairpin standing front of him. “The matter with the diary, I’m really grateful.”
The girl tilted her head and faced him with a smile. “If you pick up something, you naturally should return it to the original owner. Don’t worry, I properly resisted my curiosity and didn’t read a single page.”
Ye Zun faintly smiled. He wasn’t worried if the girl had read the diary. Based on the note in his dream, for some unknown reason, Nogawa Kaoru seemed to have deliberately left the diary in this girl’s hands, as if he wanted it to be read by her.
“I don’t know how to thank Xuejie*.”
[T/N: senior (school) sister]
“Are you okay now?”
“En?” Ye Zun was slightly stunned and maintained his smile.
——Could it be that this girl knew Nogawa Kaoru from the beginning?
The girl was not annoyed, still smiling. “So polite, do you really not remember me? I’m from the school’s art department. We met yesterday. I am the dance program’s consultant for the school’s anniversary celebration production.”
Ye Zun remembered that because he was drawn from the Class 9’s lottery, he was forced to report to the school’s celebration production. Yesterday, everyone went to the activity centre for a short meeting to discuss their performances and whether they needed to stay in school for practise and rehearsal.
“We’re friends now. If you need any help, you can come to me at any time oh. For your performance, or anything else.”
“En, thank you.”
Ye Zun was listening to the girl in front of him when he suddenly felt a disturbing chill crawl up his back. He immediately turned his head back.
However, there was no abnormal person or thing. He only saw the back figure of someone leaving past the corner in the near distance.
——Seems to be… Lin. Did he pass by just now? If it’s him, why didn’t he say hello to me?
——Or, he actually did say hello, but I didn’t hear it?
The girl smiled brightly, her fingers waving in front of Ye Zun’s eyes, causing them to turn back.
“What are you looking at? Did some great beauty pass through?”
Ye Zun smiled slightly. “It was a very important friend of mine.”
“Is that so ah.” Noticing that Ye Zun didn’t seem to want to continue down this line of topic, the girl blinked, then smiled lightly and nodded. “Oh, it’s getting late. We should get back to class too ba.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go together ba.”
Ye Zun and her walked side by side along the path beside the flowerbed.
“Yi, what’s this? Are the bush flowers blooming?” The girl suddenly raised her voice.
Ye Zun walked over and saw a large red flower blooming on the neatly trimmed hedge at the edge of the flower bed.
Upon closer inspection, it was not the bush that had bloomed by itself, but a red spider lily that someone had snapped off and discarded.
“Yi, what kind of person is so immoral to just snap off a flower that just bloomed,” the girl said regretfully when she saw Ye Zun pick up the flower.
Ye Zun lowered his eyes to at the flower between his fingers and also showed a look of pity. “Right ah, it’s such a beautiful flower. There’s nothing to do if it was plucked off, but they just threw it away.”
“It’s probably because someone would see if they kept holding on to it, so they threw it away out of fear of being scolded. You should also throw it away as soon as possible ba, or other people will think you were the one who picked it.”
Ye Zun smiled a little and looked at the flowers between his fingers, but he didn’t throw it away.
The two people were of different grades and were in different teaching buildings, so they soon separated.
Ye Zun walked into the second year’s Class 9 classroom, and when he looked up, he saw Shen Yuan standing lazily in the aisle.
The buttons of the white shirt were all unexpectedly done up to the collar, but the slender black tie was knotted messily and the black uniform was not worn properly. At first glance, the get up didn’t look good, but because of that handsome face, the ruffian was a little more elegant than he should have been.
The other party also saw Ye Zun. On that ‘I can do whatever I want’ face, no matter how brilliant his smile was, the depths of eyes were nothing but dark and gloomy. However, at this moment, there was no smile at all.
Without that unsightly villain’s smile, that face looked even more handsome.
It’s just that the shape and lines of the eyes were more obvious. The corners of his eyes were slightly pointed and the narrow and long tail at the ends revealed the deranged and lazy temperament, and the dull shadow in the eyes looked even more neurotic.
It was like there were hooks in those dark eyes. When he tilted his head and stared at people without blinking, it was like he was casually thinking about how to kill you, giving people a hard to grasp sense of danger.
“In a good mood?”
——See?
Ye Zun’s eyes looked directly at him, facing the other who was obviously finding fault with him. He suspected that the other was unhappy and didn’t want him to be happy either. He did not avoid it, and the thin, clear and natural gentleness on his face did not disappear because of this.
However, he was never vigilant or alert when facing Shen Yuan in the first place.
“En. Because the weather is good.”
Shen Yuan was leaning on his desk, with the meaning that he had no intention to move away, while playing around with a book.
“What’s so good about the dark and windy weather? It’s because of somebody ba.”
He tilted his head slightly, his lowered eyes narrowing slightly, staring intently at Ye Zun. The corners of his lips were hooked up, but there was no smile. His tone was low, but without aggression, just in a poor mood. “Talking to your girlfriend in this haunted school? What, are you not scared anymore? Maybe the other party’s true identity is a ghost.”
Ye Zun had already walked in front of him at this point. He was slightly confused. “Girlfriend?”
Shen Yuan nodded, head still tilted while looking at him. The dark and unpredictable expression did not make any sense. He slowly blinked his eyes, frowning slightly, and said with a sincere look, “Seriously, you have poor eyesight. Just looking at that girl, anyone can see she doesn’t suit you. Average looks, her hair is dyed a tacky colour, a fake appearance under all that powder, and her smile is so artificial…”
———He really is looking for faults.
Ye Zun lowered his head and smiled helplessly. He didn’t listen to his nonsense, only handing the flower in his hand to the other and interrupted his impolite words. “This is for you.”
Shen Yuan’s voice stopped abruptly. His eyes fell on the red spider lily flower, then he paused for a moment and looked up at him.
Ye Zun maintained his posture of handing over the flower and the smile in his eyes was very light and thin. “Although I don’t know who picked it off and threw it on the bush, it looks like it’s only just bloomed. It’s a very beautiful flower. I originally planned to nurture it or turn it into a sample, but if you like it, I’ll give it to you ba.”
Shen Yuan didn’t receive it, nor did he speak. Those dark eyes stared straight at him with his face forming an incomprehensible expression.
“Why give me a flower?”
Ye Zun didn’t pay attention to his people-disturbing attitude. There was a clean and soft expression on his own face, one that was almost not there at all, just like when he was talking to the girl at the flower bed before. It was like a light milky flavoured popsicle in summer.
If you take a bite in your mouth, it will be refreshing and cold, with a hint of sweetness.
Maintaining the stance of giving the flower, Ye Zun stared at him earnestly. “Yesterday was my fault, I shouldn’t have said that about you. I should have apologised earlier, but I had something on my mind yesterday and I wasn’t in the right headspace. I’m sorry. It may not have any meaning, but I hope this flower can make you feel better from what I caused in my bad mood. I really am sorry.”
Once he finished speaking, because the other party didn’t receive the offering for a long time, Ye Zun looked down at the flower in his hand and pursed his lips lightly. “If you don’t like the flower, then nevermind.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” Shen Yuan reached out and grabbed the red spider lily right from his hand, carelessly sniffing it once, and raised his eyes to look at him. “This has absolutely no scent at all.”
A faint smile peeked out from Ye Zun’s lips again. “But, it really does look beautiful ba.”
Although he was still lazy and lacking in energy, and there was no smile on his face, the deranged lifelessness on Shen Yuan’s brows and eyes dissipated a lot. His eyes became clear and his appearance returned to his previous laziness.
“En, very beautiful.”
Ye Zun walked around him and sat at his desk beside the window, then pulled out the diary he got back from the girl from his bag.
Shen Yuan was right. He really was in a good mood, because Nogawa Kaoru’s secret would soon be solved.
The author has something to say:
Journey of a red spider lily——
On the morning of blooming, it was picked off and discarded by a priest in a bad mood, then picked up by a good-looking little Gege passing by. But it was too late to be happy, because it was soon delivered back into familiar hands.
Red spider lily: Blame me for being too beautiful ┭┮﹏┭┮
Have the feeling that Ye Zun has the talent of being a natural scum ah, and the Demon Lord is really easy to coax~
·
【 As for why there is red spider lily in April, it is not a bug, we will find out very soon 】
Having the Same Name as the Demon Lord of the AbyssThe knot on his throat rolled once. Just when his fear surfaced, he thought about the poor little girl. Ye Zun took a deep breath, suppressed the spreading tension, and stuck his head out cautiously.In the dark living room, nothing could be seen. He only saw the door of the master bedroom being slowly pushed open silently, as if something had walked in. Then the door silently closed.That thing went into the master bedroom. Is it looking for someone room by room? I need to take this opportunityTake this opportunity, should I go into Nogawa Kaoru's room to find the hidden diary that could be my key? Or find the main exit and leave this house with the little girl first?He glanced at the door of Nogawa Kaoru's bedroom that was very close to where he was, then turned his eyes. Going on his tip-toes, he walked out quickly without making a sound.The main door, the main door's location, has it been hidden?But it should still be there. Think carefully, find the approximate location firstba.Ye Zun pressed his fingers against the wall, feeling around inch by inch, before finally seeing the main exit door that was painted almost the same white as the wall.Found it!Immediately, he tried pushing, but it didn't move.It was like the other side of the door was locked up by layers of chains, the kind of sound that indicated the door can be pushed but cannot be opened completely.Ye Zun was taken aback and turned his head back to look carefully at the living room, especially putting his guard up against any movements in the master bedroom.A picture quickly flashed in his mind; the house was like a grave, and the location of the exit was a gravestone. Just then, he tried to get out through the gravestone from inside the grave.Suddenly, there was a horrifying sound from all over the room, like it was in indescribable pain, like a human soul was being devoured.Is that ghostly thing eating someone?Before he could think more about it, Ye Zun ran to the storage room where the little girl was hiding.Quickly come out, come to me.The little girl ran out of the hidden garbage heap without hesitation, rushing into Ye Zun's arms, hugging his neck tightly.The feeling of being trusted by a weak existence can give people the illusion that they are very powerful.I can protect her, I must protect her.He picked up the little girl, only to notice that the other party was far too light and too small. It hardly took any effort.Hold on to me tightly. If you are scared, close your eyes and cover your ears. Don't look or listen.He protected the child in his arms with one hand and held the boning knife in his other. He turned around and ran towards where the main exit was, and then, regardless of the horrifying noises in the room, began to slash the door with the knife in his hand.Once, twice, thriceWhat was this splitting feeling? He didn't know if the chain behind the door was broken, or if the wooden grave door had cracked.Under the relentless and violent destruction, finally, the door revealed a clear skylight.The terrifying sound from the bedroom was deafening, and he could hear something's footsteps from somewhere, coming in his direction.But when Ye Zun urgently turned back to look, he saw nothing, only that the old dark room was shaking constantly, as if the whole house was being hacked down.Ye Zun couldn't delay things a second more, directly lifting his foot and kicking the cracking door to make the exit more distinct.Then, he put down the little girl in his arms who had tightly shut her eyes, then pushed her towards the opening in the broken door. Hurry, you go out first. Once you're out, run to a bright and crowded place, prioritise seeking help from women.The footsteps behind him were getting closer and closer, faster and faster, like there were more than one set.The hairs on Ye Zun's back all stood up but he didn't have time to look back.After the little girl was pushed out by him, the size of the exit was not big enough for him to leave as well. It was too late. Ye Zun didn't hesitate to quickly run in the other direction, hiding inside the door of the storage room by the wall.He plastered himself against the wall and stood cautiously, raising the boning knife in his hand. As soon as that thing catches up, he will immediately fight back.But nothing came after him. There was nothing in the dark living room, but it was obvious that something terrifying existed. The broken door was grabbed and shaken violently, as if the invisible thing wanted to get out as well, to escape from the grave-like house. Even the whole room felt like it was trembling.The other party didn't find him, or it did find him but didn't care. Either way, Ye Zun breathed a sigh of relief.But, what should I do next? Are there any other exits?He turned around and unconsciously looked around the storage room.He suddenly froze.In the storage room that should have been empty, a person standing with their back to him faced the wall motionlessly.That person was very familiar. The same familiarity as if he looked into a mirror. It was another him'.It was like Ye Zun's soul had ran out, and the shell of his body remained here.The walls were covered with stuck-on paper, densely packed, like a diary that has been torn apart into pages.Is that the hidden key diary?Ye Zun couldn't care less about this person who looked exactly like him. He immediately stuck close to the wall, trying to read the writing on the paper under the dim light that poured in from the grave door that was split open in the dark.Behind him, shadows were cast on the ground. The terrifying existence that couldn't be seen was approaching the doorway and a huge, dangerous and dark shadow enveloped Ye Zun.The other Ye Zun, who was wearing the opposite of his clothes by donning white pants and a black shirt, who should have been as motionless and unresponsive as the walking dead, suddenly turned his head to look at him.Did you not sleep well last night?At breakfast time, Lin looked at the absent-minded Ye Zun, and asked a question.Ye Zun returned to his senses and wore a smile on his face. No, I slept pretty well. By the way, there's something I'm curious about, I've been wanting to ask you.What is it?Ye Zun looked at Lin sitting opposite to him. I remember you said before that you came here after receiving a job from the church. I would like to know, what kind of work is it? Is it convenient for you to tell me?Lin watched him gently, with a faint smile pulling at the corners of his lips. Of course I can. It's just that it may not be possible to go into details. It is mainly to record the process of changes in this instance world, as well as the results after the event has ended.Ye Zun: So to speak, Father does not need to investigate the reason behind the supernatural event, nor do you need to resolve it, is that right?Lin looked at him with slight restraint. The church can't interfere in the Demon God's Amusement Park, it is more about observation and recording. So, yes. But, if you need it, I can help you.Ye Zun blinked, then showed a very shallow smile. I don't need you to violate the boundaries of the church. I just want to know, are there any skills that ordinary people can use to confront ghosts?Lin's eyes moved slightly. The person in front of him seemed to have changed just a little. He looked into Ye Zun's eyes. In a sense, the church is indeed studying the ghosts' systems of gaining power. As for things I can say, I can indeed tell you some confrontation skills. However, if I were you, I would not listen. Ye Zun looked at him, eyes holding no surprise, just a slight curiosity. Why? Lin looked at him, calmly and quietly saying, Before, when we talked about the ghost's systems of gaining power, we talked about fear.En, you said that ghosts gain the power to kill me from my fear.Lin's ten fingers neatly clasped together. That's right. The source of fear is, first of all, your acknowledgement and awareness of ghosts. The more you know, the more you understand, and the more you will fall into the ghost's system of power, strengthening the enemy.Ye Zun blinked. You said that to confront ghosts, you must first get rid of this influence and not enter the opponent's energy harvesting system. However, isn't there no way to do this?Lin's black and shiny eyes stared directly at him for a moment. Of course there is. Think about how you entered the Demon God's Amusement Park, how did you successfully fight against it back then? Remember the gut feeling in every winning experience, think about what you did right.Ye Zun contemplated. Back then, he didn't listen to the voice on the phone, choosing to face his fear and going back to the rental house, violating the progressive route designed by the ghost made to build up his fear.Did anything happen last night? The priest had a slight curiosity in his eyes, En, I feel like you are a little different today.Ye Zun smiled a little and looked at him. It's because the breakfast Father made is very delicious. Before I knew it, my body relaxed.It was also because, although he had a nightmare, the final outcome of the dream was very good.In the nightmare last night, he not only rescued the little girl from the terrifying house, but he also found a new clue.On the diary stuck to the wall, there was a sentence written on it. Wednesday, 7:15 The flower bed in the lower right corner The senior sister wearing a cherry blossom hairpin, can you see the diary? Should be able to see itba. Does this mean that there was indeed a very important diary, and Nogawa Kaoru put it in the hands of a senior sister who wore a cherry blossom pin, and made an appointment to pick it up at 7:15 on Wednesday morning?Today was the fourth day of the instance. Ye Zun entered the instance on Sunday evening, and today happened to be Wednesday.Because it was a clue obtained from his dream, Ye Zun didn't want to randomly mention it before he was certain he had attained it. Otherwise, it would be fine if he did get it, but if it was just something in his dream that didn't exist at all, it would be a bit absurd.Is that soah. Then, you should eat some more. Lin accepted this reason.On the way to school, Ye Zun was also thinking about the little girl in his dream. After waking up from a dream, the people inside will always be a little blurry. She was vaguely like a child he had never seen before. Going by age, she looked to be around the same as the little sister in Nogawa Kaoru's family.The child that Ye Zun had only seen on Monday morning; at that time, the middle-aged man scolded her with a black face and had her cook breakfast for him in the kitchen despite her being a child, and was even dissatisfied by her, picking faults here and there.Speaking of which, the middle-aged man only appeared in the morning during the day, while the middle-aged woman only appeared at night. One said that the other was dead, one said that the other had disappeared. The two of them really made people feel uncomfortable.Can it be, that I should go to Nogawa Kaoru's little sister, that girl, and ask her about the situation at home?It should be much more reliable than Shen Yuan. At the very least, Nogawa Kaoru and the little girl are brother and sister born to the same mother, they should know a little more.In the morning, they also arrived at school in Lin's car.Lin parked the car at the gate of the school first and said to Ye Zun, You go on firstba, I'll come once I park the car.The parking lot was opposite to the school. It would take a little more time to walk over after parking the car. The other party had even taken this into consideration.Ye Zun felt warm in his heart. His eyes became soft. Then, I'll see you at noon.Lin sitting in the car nodded lightly, saying with a reserved smile, I will see you at noon.Lin came out of the parking lot and crossed the road, walking with a faint smile on his lips.There was a row of cherry blossom trees outside the entrance of the school. The early-rising elderly would leash their pets and take them out for a walk.Young man, are you able to help me?Lin stopped in his path, humbly and politely looking at the old lady who called him. Hello, may I ask what is the matter?The old lady was very old, hunching over with her thin and small body, eyes cloudy but kind. My good cub can't come down, can you help meah?Lin smiled and looked at the little milk cat who couldn't climb down from the high flower tree next to them. Is it this one?His build was very tall, and with no effort, the palm of his hand caged the little milk cat that was curled up motionlessly.The kitten stared at him with round eyes, an unmoving lump of fur. It was very well behaved, as if it was frightened by something.Lin smiled, his slender fingers wrapping around its neck and his thumbs lightly scratching. The cat's eyes were extremely round, unblinking, as if the man wearing a gentle, kind and beautiful smile in front of it was not petting it, but rather, he was going to strangle it to death.Very cute.Lin handed the cat in his hand to the old grandmother, who smiled contentedly, hugging the little milk cat and calling it obedient. The tree is too tall, this poor little one must've been scaredba.Grandma is petting you, don't be scared, don't be scared. Young man, thank you very muchah.You are welcome. Don't run around next time, it really is dangerous for a small thing like you. Lin faintly smiled and his eyes left the cat's body.Once the priest walked far away, the cat that was dumb as a wooden chicken, meowedwuwith its puffed out and buried its head in the arms of the grandmother. All that was left was a trembling and chubby cat's butt.It was currently the morning reading period. Students gathered in groups of twos and threes were all over the campus. Occasionally, people who knew Lin greeted him.Laoshi is in a very good mood todayah.En, probably because the weather is rather nice. Lin also smiled and warmly responded.The student glanced strangely at the gloomy weather that was just like yesterday's and forced themselves to be optimistic. It's windy today, a little more refreshing than yesterday.Lin maintained a slightly raised smile along this walk, but when he came to the edge of the flower bed, his steps suddenly came to a stop.The smile that lasted all morning, after freezing for a second, disappeared completely.After walking through the school entrance, then turning right and going forward, there was a flower bed. Because it was far away from the teaching building, there were very few people in this area during the morning reading period.There were two people standing at the edge of the flower bed: a boy in black school uniform, and a girl in a skirt of the same school uniform.The girl had fashionably long chestnut-yellow hair, wearing a cherry blossom hairpin and delicate makeup. She had a bright and lovely smile, tilting her head to look at the young man in front of her.Even on a cloudy day without the sun, the morning light was still rather fresh and bright.The young man under the sunlight was slender and tall, and the black uniform on his body looked indescribably natural, lightweight and fitting.The outline of his profile was very smooth. The bone beneath his eyes, his jaw, the bridge of his nose, all were especially gorgeous. Instead of a soft beauty without any edges and corners, he had the sharp but somewhat jerky handsome appearance of one transitioning from a teenager into a young man.But that sharp handsomeness had no edge, rather, it was clear and fragile.When he wasn't smiling and had his lips pursed slightly, his eyebrows, eyes and chin would appear indifferent. As if a surprise attack had been launched on him not long ago, there was a sense of insecurity engraved in his bones, vigilant and rejecting all who were approaching around him.However, this fragile indifference did not make him look cold, and the tough defences that were deliberately piled up made people more curious in wanting to explore what was inside. They couldn't help but want to take a few more glances, wanting to know what is on his mind, what troubles he has encountered.It caused people to be unable to hold back their urge to please him, to make his defences collapse on his own initiative, have the tension between his brows and in his eyes soften, and be treated by him with special trust.But now, the expression of indifference and rejection was completely gone.He was smiling.That face showed a clear and bright smile, light and clear without the weight of shadows. There was no need for others to do anything; he had pulled away his defences all on his own.He stood there, taller and slightly thinner than the girl in front of him, looking unmistakably warm and dependable.The pure and clear eyes accompanying his smile looked like they were looking at a lovely blooming flower that needed protection. If the flower needs it, he will definitely protect her.But the girl in front of him was healthy and bright, authentic and fresh. On the contrary, only he appeared to be neither pale nor weak, and at the same time, like a false delusion.The indifference in the young man's brows and eyes turned into a clear, soft light. His smile and eyes were lacking any flaws, but there was still the fragility of being thin and easy to break.Like the early morning of late summer, when the light from the sky passes through the cool mountain spring, the short moment before the sunlight breaks through, beautiful and delicate; unstoppable, unreproducible, uncapturable, unimaginable.The girl opposite the young man obviously had the same impression as Lin. She tilted her head and smiled cutely. The smile was bright on that pretty face, but her eyes were vaguely and carefully observing, making her smile seem deliberate, in order to make the young man in front of her happy, to let his indifference melt away, to keep the smile on his face for a little longer.But she didn't seem to have to do anything in particular. That person was already happy because of her.However, the priest who saw this scene did not feel happy, nor did he find it beautiful. He only found it unsightly.The smile on his face had long since disappeared and there was no trace of the good mood he was in since the morning. Not only that, because of handsome and high-born appearance, despite never smiling, he still had elegant and clean features. Although, at this moment, there was only an icy shadow over his face.The darkness submerged, the only source of light lost, the expensive black crystal immersed in the cool spring water deprived of all its clarity. There was only the thick and dark deathly aura that continued to rise from the abyss, the ink-black colour, staring directly at the unsightly beauty in front of him.So far, no matter which one of himself the youth was facing, this person has never shown such an expression to him.Rosy lips were tightly pursed, and the corners of the lips were hooked chillingly. Cutting off the red spider lily* blooming in the flower bed, the hand then discarded it.T/N: /lycoris radiataDon't be nervous. I understand, because I am the same. The girl smiled brilliantly, her eyes comforting Ye Zun who was somewhat nervous.Ye Zun looked at the girl wearing a cherry blossom hairpin standing front of him. The matter with the diary, I'm really grateful.The girl tilted her head and faced him with a smile. If you pick up something, you naturally should return it to the original owner. Don't worry, I properly resisted my curiosity and didn't read a single page.Ye Zun faintly smiled. He wasn't worried if the girl had read the diary. Based on the note in his dream, for some unknown reason, Nogawa Kaoru seemed to have deliberately left the diary in this girl's hands, as if he wanted it to be read by her.I don't know how to thank Xuejie*.T/N: senior school sisterAre you okay now?En? Ye Zun was slightly stunned and maintained his smile.Could it be that this girl knew Nogawa Kaoru from the beginning?The girl was not annoyed, still smiling. So polite, do you really not remember me? I'm from the school's art department. We met yesterday. I am the dance program's consultant for the school's anniversary celebration production.Ye Zun remembered that because he was drawn from the Class 9's lottery, he was forced to report to the school's celebration production. Yesterday, everyone went to the activity centre for a short meeting to discuss their performances and whether they needed to stay in school for practise and rehearsal.We're friends now. If you need any help, you can come to me at any timeoh. For your performance, or anything else.En, thank you.Ye Zun was listening to the girl in front of him when he suddenly felt a disturbing chill crawl up his back. He immediately turned his head back.However, there was no abnormal person or thing. He only saw the back figure of someone leaving past the corner in the near distance.Seems to be Lin. Did he pass by just now? If it's him, why didn't he say hello to me?Or, he actually did say hello, but I didn't hear it?The girl smiled brightly, her fingers waving in front of Ye Zun's eyes, causing them to turn back.What are you looking at? Did some great beauty pass through?Ye Zun smiled slightly. It was a very important friend of mine.Is that soah. Noticing that Ye Zun didn't seem to want to continue down this line of topic, the girl blinked, then smiled lightly and nodded. Oh,it's getting late. We should get back to class tooba.Okay.Let's go togetherba.Ye Zun and her walked side by side along the path beside the flowerbed.Yi, what's this? Are the bush flowers blooming? The girl suddenly raised her voice.Ye Zun walked over and saw a large red flower blooming on the neatly trimmed hedge at the edge of the flower bed.Upon closer inspection, it was not the bush that had bloomed by itself, but a red spider lily that someone had snapped off and discarded.Yi, what kind of person is so immoral to just snap off a flower that just bloomed, the girl said regretfully when she saw Ye Zun pick up the flower.Ye Zun lowered his eyes to at the flower between his fingers and also showed a look of pity. Rightah, it's such a beautiful flower. There's nothing to do if it was plucked off, but they just threw it away.It's probably because someone would see if they kept holding on to it, so they threw it away out of fear of being scolded. You should also throw it away as soon as possibleba, or other people will think you were the one who picked it.Ye Zun smiled a little and looked at the flowers between his fingers, but he didn't throw it away.The two people were of different grades and were in different teaching buildings, so they soon separated.Ye Zun walked into the second year's Class 9 classroom, and when he looked up, he saw Shen Yuan standing lazily in the aisle.The buttons of the white shirt were all unexpectedly done up to the collar, but the slender black tie was knotted messily and the black uniform was not worn properly. At first glance, the get up didn't look good, but because of that handsome face, the ruffian was a little more elegant than he should have been.The other party also saw Ye Zun. On that I can do whatever I want' face, no matter how brilliant his smile was, the depths of eyes were nothing but dark and gloomy. However, at this moment, there was no smile at all.Without that unsightly villain's smile, that face looked even more handsome.It's just that the shape and lines of the eyes were more obvious. The corners of his eyes were slightly pointed and the narrow and long tail at the ends revealed the deranged and lazy temperament, and the dull shadow in the eyes looked even more neurotic.It was like there were hooks in those dark eyes. When he tilted his head and stared at people without blinking, it was like he was casually thinking about how to kill you, giving people a hard to grasp sense of danger.In a good mood?See?Ye Zun's eyes looked directly at him, facing the other who was obviously finding fault with him. He suspected that the other was unhappy and didn't want him to be happy either. He did not avoid it, and the thin, clear and natural gentleness on his face did not disappear because of this.However, he was never vigilant or alert when facing Shen Yuan in the first place.En. Because the weather is good.Shen Yuan was leaning on his desk, with the meaning that he had no intention to move away, while playing around with a book.What's so good about the dark and windy weather? It's because of somebodyba.He tilted his head slightly, his lowered eyes narrowing slightly, staring intently at Ye Zun. The corners of his lips were hooked up, but there was no smile. His tone was low, but without aggression, just in a poor mood. Talking to your girlfriend in this haunted school? What, are you not scared anymore? Maybe the other party's true identity is a ghost.Ye Zun had already walked in front of him at this point. He was slightly confused. Girlfriend?Shen Yuan nodded, head still tilted while looking at him. The dark and unpredictable expression did not make any sense. He slowly blinked his eyes, frowning slightly, and said with a sincere look, Seriously, you have poor eyesight. Just looking at that girl, anyone can see she doesn't suit you. Average looks, her hair is dyed a tacky colour, a fake appearance under all that powder, and her smile is so artificialHe really is looking for faults.Ye Zun lowered his head and smiled helplessly. He didn't listen to his nonsense, only handing the flower in his hand to the other and interrupted his impolite words. This is for you.Shen Yuan's voice stopped abruptly. His eyes fell on the red spider lily flower, then he paused for a moment and looked up at him.Ye Zun maintained his posture of handing over the flower and the smile in his eyes was very light and thin. Although I don't know who picked it off and threw it on the bush, it looks like it's only just bloomed. It's a very beautiful flower. I originally planned to nurture it or turn it into a sample, but if you like it, I'll give it to youba.Shen Yuan didn't receive it, nor did he speak. Those dark eyes stared straight at him with his face forming an incomprehensible expression.Why give me a flower?Ye Zun didn't pay attention to his people-disturbing attitude. There was a clean and soft expression on his own face, one that was almost not there at all, just like when he was talking to the girl at the flower bed before. It was like a light milky flavoured popsicle in summer.If you take a bite in your mouth, it will be refreshing and cold, with a hint of sweetness.Maintaining the stance of giving the flower, Ye Zun stared at him earnestly. Yesterday was my fault, I shouldn't have said that about you. I should have apologised earlier, but I had something on my mind yesterday and I wasn't in the right headspace. I'm sorry. It may not have any meaning, but I hope this flower can make you feel better from what I caused in my bad mood. I really am sorry.Once he finished speaking, because the other party didn't receive the offering for a long time, Ye Zun looked down at the flower in his hand and pursed his lips lightly. If you don't like the flower, then nevermind.I didn't say I didn't like it. Shen Yuan reached out and grabbed the red spider lily right from his hand, carelessly sniffing it once, and raised his eyes to look at him. This has absolutely no scent at all.A faint smile peeked out from Ye Zun's lips again. But, it really does look beautifulba.Although he was still lazy and lacking in energy, and there was no smile on his face, the deranged lifelessness on Shen Yuan's brows and eyes dissipated a lot. His eyes became clear and his appearance returned to his previous laziness.En, very beautiful.Ye Zun walked around him and sat at his desk beside the window, then pulled out the diary he got back from the girl from his bag.Shen Yuan was right. He really was in a good mood, because Nogawa Kaoru's secret would soon be solved.The author has something to say:Journey of a red spider lilyOn the morning of blooming, it was picked off and discarded by a priest in a bad mood, then picked up by a good-looking little Gege passing by. But it was too late to be happy, because it was soon delivered back into familiar hands.Red spider lily: Blame me for being too beautiful Have the feeling that Ye Zun has the talent of being a natural scumah, and the Demon Lord is really easy to coax~ As for why there is red spider lily in April, it is not a bug, we will find out very soon
